Not all mold is bad: Penicillin

Not all mold is bad. . . in fact, some mold is very good. The best example of a "good" mold would be penicillin. Penicillin was discovered by Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming in 1928. His discovery demonstrated that penicillin had antibiotic properties, which really initiated the era of antibiotic discovery. Penicillin is derived from several species of the Penicillium fungi, including penicillin G, procaine penicillin, benzathine penicillin and penicillin V. While penicillin is one of the more notable good molds, there are other molds that are used in many common domestic applications. For example, yeast is used for fermentation and also in the making of bread. Mold has been used to age cheeses, and improve the texture of wine. Keep in mind as well, that mold is the ultimate recycling machine! Without mold, dead things, such as animals and plants, would not decompose as quickly as they do. Mold assists in the process of converting dead organic matter back to basic organic nutrients. For more information on mold, air testing and other issues related to your health, find us on our website at http://www.bustmold.com, and be sure to check us out on facebook as well.

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Education

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• good
• mold
• penicillin