So. You ate some moldy bread.

你吃了些發霉的麵包

You made a fine looking sandwich, took a few huge bites, and then realized the bread you used was a little ... fuzzy.

你做了個令人垂涎的三明治，咬了幾大口，才發現你的麵包有點…毛毛的

Oops.

唉呀

Good news is, most of the time, this isn't a cause for panic.

好消息是，這種情況多半不需要驚慌

It's kinda gross, and you might not want to think about it too much, but in all likelihood, nothing bad will happen to you—

有點噁心，你不願多想，但很可能不會出甚麼問題

especially if you have a healthy immune system.

特別是如果你有個健康的免疫系統

Still, there's a reason experts don't recommend finishing off that moldy loaf, so it's best not to press your luck.

不過專家還是不建議吃完發霉的麵包，所以還是別碰運氣

Molds are a type of fungi, and some people can be allergic to them.

黴是一種菌類，有的人會對它過敏

It's pretty rare for something serious to happen, but one teenager actually died after eating two pancakes made with two-year-old, mold-infested mix.

很少有嚴重的狀況發生，不過確實有一名青少年，因吃下發霉兩年的材料做的兩片鬆餅而死亡

Even if you aren't allergic, though, you're still not off the hook.

不過就算你沒有過敏，還是不能心存僥倖

The other big danger with mold-contaminated foods is mycotoxins.

發霉食物的另一個危險是黴菌毒素

These are chemicals various molds make under certain conditions that are toxic to humans and other creatures.

這是各​​種黴菌在某些對人類和其他生物有毒的狀況下，所產生的化學物質

For the most part, if you consume a little bit once or twice, you'll probably be okay.

如果你只吃了一兩次，可能沒關係

But in larger doses, or over longer periods of time, they can become an issue.

但如果大量或是長期攝入，就可能會有問題

Take aflatoxin, for example, which is most commonly found in crops like corn and peanuts.

例如黃麴毒素，通常在玉米及花生中發現

We first realized it might be a problem in the 1960s when, over several months, 100,000 turkeys died in the UK from a mysterious condition dubbed Turkey X disease.

1960 年代英國有十萬隻火雞因為不明原因在幾個月內死亡，被稱為「火雞 X 疾病」，這時人類才第一次發現這個問題

Ultimately, scientists traced the poultry massacre to aflatoxin contaminating the animal feed.

科學家追蹤後發現，這次禽類大屠殺是來自被黃麴毒素汙染的飼料

Today, we also know aflatoxin increases risk of liver cancer in humans, so it's not something you want on your toast.

現在我們也發現黃麴毒素會增加人類罹患肝癌的風險，所以你不會希望你的吐司上有這玩意

Other dangerous mycotoxins include ochratoxin, which targets the kidneys and is often found in corn or barley products,

其它的黴菌毒素還包括常在大麥中發現的赭麴毒素，會影響腎功能的運作

and fumonisins, which can cause birth defects and are also found in corn.

以及也在玉米中發現的伏馬鐮孢毒素，會造成嬰兒出生缺陷

Right now, we know of about 400 or so mycotoxins in total.

目前我們已知的黴菌毒素約有 400 種

For the most part, though, they're not too concerning in countries that do food safety tests and keep tabs on these sorts of things.

雖然在有食品安全測試及追蹤機制的國家，不用太擔心這問題

They tend to contaminate raw grains and animal feeds rather than things you'd stick in your mouth directly,

黴菌毒素感染的多半是生穀或動物飼料，不是你會直接放進嘴巴的東西

but they can cause outbreaks and are a real health hazard in developing nations.

但在開發中國家，可能會造成疾病爆發及健康危害

Because you could get sick, the rule of thumb is to throw away food that has any mold on it if it's soft.

因為可能讓你會生病，經驗法則是丟掉任何長黴的軟質食物

This applies to things like bread, and also soft cheeses, meats, and dips.

包括麵包、乳酪、肉類及沾醬

That's because molds grow in microscopic thread-like branches called hyphae, and in soft foods, it's easier for them to spread.

因為黴菌通常以微絲枝狀的型態生長，稱為菌絲，較容易在軟質食物上蔓延

By the time you have a colorful patch of fuzzy spores on your bread, it's likely that the filaments run deep.

麵包上長了塊彩色發毛胞子時，菌絲可能已經深植其中

If the food is harder, like a hard cheddar, it's less likely that those hyphae have infiltrated the whole cheese.

如果是像巧達起司那種比較硬的食物，菌絲就比較無法滲透到整塊起司裡

So, if mold is on just a small area, you can cut around it, but be generous.

所以如果只有一小部分發霉，你可以直接切掉那個部分，但是切大塊點

The same advice goes for firmer fruits and veggies like carrots or large strawberries.

比較硬的水果和蔬菜也是這樣處理，像是胡蘿蔔或大顆草莓

Toss or cut out the moldy section, rinse the rest, and enjoy.

把發霉的部分切掉或丟掉，洗一洗就可以吃了

But of course, if the whole item is covered in fur, you'll want to stay away.

但如果整塊都長毛了，最好是把它給丟掉

Finally, if you see mold on food, there's a good chance it's also loaded with bacteria by that point.

如果你發現食物發霉了，很有可能上面已經長滿了細菌

Which means mycotoxin or not, you could still get sick.

所以不管是不是黴菌毒素，你還是可能會生病

So it's better to play it safe, and find another snack. Sorry.

所以最好是小心點，吃其他的東西

Thanks for asking, and thanks to all of our patrons on Patreon who keep the questions coming!

謝謝提問，也謝謝各位各位贊助人的持續發問

If you have a burning question, or if you'd like to help us keep answering them, you can go to patreon.com/scishow.

如果你們有急著想知道的問題，或是想幫忙回答，可以到我們的連結 patreon.com/scishow

[OUTRO ♪]

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