What’s the White Mold on Sausage? (Solved!)

If you’re in the process of curing homemade sausages, you may have noticed the white stuff on sausage skin.

The white powder can mean many things, but the most probable answer is white mold.

People usually associate mold with negative things, but white mold on sausage is a good sign. It appears on the surface of sausage casings during the curing process.

Although the presence of white mold is a sign that everything’s going well, if you find it unsightly, you can wipe it off once the curing process is completed.

In this article, I’ll discuss mold on sausage casings, including what you should and shouldn’t do if white mold starts to appear on your sausages.

What Is the White Stuff on Sausage Skin?

While the white stuff on sausage skin is most likely a healthy mold, it may be something else altogether.

For example, the white powder could be corn starch, which is used for anti-caking purposes.

It’s a common ingredient used to maintain the dryness of sausages and keep sausages from sticking together.

The white stuff could also be a type of flour used for the same reason.

Wheat-based and maize-based flour is most used for this purpose. Sometimes extra fine rice flour does the trick as well.

Not only do these types of flour keep the sausages dry, but they also create a delicate crusty surface on sausages.

It’s also possible that the white stuff on sausage skin is white mold.

If you noticed that the white powdery layer has appeared on your sausages near the end of the curing process, then it’s likely white mold.

But don’t worry! This only means that the fermentation process was successful.

What Does the White Mold on Sausage Do?

Different types of molds can appear on your sausages. Some are beneficial, while others are a bad sign.

White mold is most commonly a good sign, and it’s perfectly harmless.

The only people who should avoid eating it are people with allergies to penicillin.

White mold looks like white chalk. It can either have a powdery or fluffy texture and appear on sausage casings during the curing process.

This type of mold accumulates on both natural and synthetic sausage casings.

White mold is the ‘good’ type of mold because it helps in the overall fermentation process of your sausages.

White mold is harmless and edible.

Here are some additional benefits of white mold on sausage:

• It helps get rid of any harmful mold while preventing the growth of harmful bacteria
• It retains moisture
• It slows down the aging process of the sausages
• It gives sausages their distinctive flavor

What Types of Sausage Can You Find White Mold On?

Not only can white mold appear on many types of dry-cured sausages, but you can also find it on various types of cured meat products.

However, the most common type of sausage where white mold appears is salami. It can also surface on different kinds of cheeses.

Since curing is a meat preservation process, most meat products are cured in similar environments.

The process occurs with careful humidity control, lack of light, and temperature maintenance of a curing chamber.

All these factors are meant to influence and help promote mold culture.

While most dry-cured sausages can have white mold, only dry salami can have white and green/blue mold.

Can You Eat the White Mold on Sausage?

White mold is perfectly edible. Whether you eat it or not depends on personal preference.

However, if you are sensitive or allergic to penicillin, it’s better to be safe and avoid consumption.

White mold gives sausages their unique flavor, and it can taste savory and add umami or a certain depth to its flavor profile.

White mold, however, shouldn’t be confused with white slime.

White slime can be a sign that the sausage has gone bad – click here to learn more.

While white mold is edible, other colors should be avoided.

If you see green, blue, or black mold with a fuzzy texture, it’s a sign that it needs to be tossed out.

Keep in mind, too, that mold usually accumulates on the exterior of the sausage, but sometimes it can appear on the inside as well.

So, if you cut your sausage and notice black mold inside, you should throw it away.

Another sign that you shouldn’t eat the sausage is if it smells bad.

With harmful types of molds, you can try removing them, but they will only return.

The best thing you can do at this point is to toss the meat product in the trash and carefully clean the space where you keep your sausages.

How Do You Remove the While Mold on Sausage?

There are a few ways you can remove the white mold from your sausages, and they’re all quite simple.

Technically speaking, you don’t need to remove the white mold from your sausages.

However, if you want to remove it, you can do so by dipping a cloth in white vinegar and wiping it off.

Afterward, make sure you leave some white vinegar on the sausages to inhibit regrowth.

You can also use a brine solution to take off the white mold.

Another easy way is by simply removing the sausage casing.

You can do this by cutting it with the tip of a kitchen knife, but be careful not to cut the meat inside the casing as well.

After the curing process is complete, you should do this to avoid the sausage falling apart.

In Summary

When mold appears on your food, the logical step is to throw it away. However, when white mold appears on your sausages, it’s a different story, and you know that everything is going according to plan.

White mold on sausage acts as a natural barrier that keeps your sausage healthy and delicious.

Whether you eat it or not is entirely up to you, but you shouldn’t remove it during the curing process of your sausages.