If you have ever been out and about on a hot day, you know how easy it is to leave your groceries in the car. We all know that milk goes bad really quickly in the heat, but what about a loaf of bread?
You can leave bread in a hot car but it will start to deteriorate within a day or even earlier. You should check to ensure it is okay to consume, but it’s unlikely to go bad in this time frame. However, it is not smart to store your bread in the car due to mold and pest infestations impacting your bread.
What is the best way to store your bread? Is it a good idea to keep it in the fridge or freezer? We will get all these answers and more, so read on!
Is It Bad To Leave Bread In a Hot Car?
It is not a good idea to leave bread in a hot car. The heat in the car can cause moisture to build up within the bag of bread and develop mold spores. Mold spores impact the taste of the bread and also carry diseases at times.
Bread can develop bacteria quickly after it gets moist and hot. The combination of a hot environment and condensation creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. The main types of mold developed on bread include:
- Penicillium
- Fusarium
- Rhizopus
- Mucor
- Aspergillus
These molds all have a slightly different appearance, but they may not be apparent to the naked eye. Penicillium typically looks like blotches of black or gray scattered across the bread’s surface. This is one of the more popular molds since it is an effective antibiotic.
However, never attempt to grow your own without proper training. This mold can be dangerous if consumed in improper doses. Most of the time, it is completely harmless, though, and just tastes really bad.
Other types of lesser-known molds, such as fusarium, can be dangerous to consume. Each of these molds prefers a hot and humid environment which is why it can be dangerous to leave your bread in the car.
How Long Can You Leave Bread In a Hot Car?
Bread should not be left in a hot car for more than an hour. If the weather is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), you might be able to store the bread for up to 2 hours in your car. However, you should avoid storing your bread in the car and only leave it in there as long as necessary.
Bread does not go bad in the car as quickly as dairy products. Unlike dairy products, bread has a long shelf life as long as the temperature and humidity are controlled. Therefore, bread can be kept in the car for brief periods, unlike dairy, which will likely spoil quicker in this hot environment.
Of course, this changes somewhat based on the weather and time of the year. If you live in the northern hemisphere, food spoilage in the car is less of an issue. This is especially true for the autumn and winter months.
It may be safe overnight if you live in a region that reaches below 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 degrees Celsius). However, you should be aware that this temperature is below freezing. You may wake up to find that your bread has frozen during the night.
This is not necessarily bad, but if bread is not frozen properly, it may dry out. We will tell you how you can freeze your bread for maximum flavor in a later section. But, if your bread freezes in the car, it will still probably be okay to eat but might be a little dry.
What Happens If You Eat Bread That’s Gone Bad?
Most of the time, if you eat expired bread, you should be fine. You should be more cautious if you notice mold or fungus growing on your bread. Mold and fungus could potentially make you very sick if you consume contaminated bread.
The sell-by date on the bread package is not necessarily an expiration date. The manufacturer recommends the sell-by date for the supermarkets or distribution centers. It’s a good indication of how old or fresh the bread is, however, so it’s worth considering when purchasing it.
However, eating bread that has gone bad could lead to food poisoning. Even though most mold and fungal spores are harmless, others can be very dangerous. It’s pretty difficult to tell the difference between the dangerous and harmless kinds just by looking at them.
To make things even more complicated, bread can have several kinds of fungal spores growing at once. If you have one identified, it does not necessarily mean that a more harmful spore is also not present.
If you consume bread that has gone bad, you may experience the following side effects:
- Cramps
- Diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Bloody stool
- Liver disease
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Hallucinations
In extremely rare cases, consumption of contaminated bread can lead to death or mental breakdowns. If left untreated, mold can create mycotoxins in the body and lead to muscle spasms and severe abdominal pain. In extreme cases, these pollutants can lead to deadly infections and organ failure.
Many historians suspect that the victims in the Salem Witch Trials suffered from Ergot poisoning. This manifested in hallucinations, muscle spasms, and unusual behavior. Ergot is a rarer occurrence today than it was back then, but it is a commonly found fungal spore in most rye, wheat, and bread ingredients.
Although unlikely, it is not worth the risk to consume contaminated bread. If you are eating a loaf of bread that has passed the sell-by date, just double-check it before consumption.
How Can You Tell If Bread Has Gone Bad?
The presence of mold is the best way to tell if the bread has gone bad. This is usually pretty obvious, but sometimes the spores are present without taking root. The best way to tell if bread is infected without physical signs is to smell the bread for a yeasty, moist scent.
As we touched on briefly in an earlier section, every type of mold looks a little different. The distinctions can be difficult to spot with the naked eye. Under a microscope, however, the structures of the mold are more easily identified.
Black molds are common on bread. These typically include relatively harmless molds such as penicillium or rhizopus. These molds taste unpleasant and may cause mild digestive discomfort. Unless you suffer from allergic reactions to these molds, you do not need to panic if you accidentally consume this one.
Others include fuzzy, white patches such as those in the Cladosporium varieties. These molds also develop in moist areas of homes quite often. These are not usually deadly but can cause sneezing and other respiratory discomforts.
Aspergillus and Mucor molds are very dangerous, though. These can infect the digestive tract and cause severe organ damage.
If you experience extreme vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue, see the doctor immediately. Although these infections are rare from bread, it is better to play it safe and avoid consuming contaminated bread.
How Should You Store Bread?
The best way to store your bread is in a bread box or dark, dry space between 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit (16-21 degrees Celsius). Store your bread away from direct sunlight and inside of a sealed bag. Plastic bags or plastic airtight containers are best for freshness.
A bread box is a simple container, typically made of wood, designed to keep bread dry and away from the sun. This helps to prevent mold from developing on the bread since it prevents moisture from accumulating.
Even if you store your bread inside a bread box, you should also keep it inside a plastic bag. Plastic bags are the best at keeping moisture out while also preventing the bread from getting stale.
Do not store your bread in the refrigerator. The fridge pulls the moisture out of the bread, making it go stale much faster than it would on the counter. You can freeze your bread however, if you are concerned, it might start to go bad soon.
Store your bread in a sealed plastic bag or container. Simply place it in the freezer in this container and store it for up to two months. After two months, the bread will still be good but will probably taste unpleasant.