Mould on top and bottom of white wine vinegar

I didn't realize there was mold on the top and bottom of my white wine vinegar until I had added a teaspoon into the ingredients for Tzatziki. Is it OK to use or should it be discarded?

Best Answer

It depends; if it's formed a solid disk and was/is floating on top, what you probably have is a vinegar mother, not mold. It's a bacterial colony of acetobacter, and probably happened because your vinegar still had a little bit of alcohol left in it for the bacteria to feed on.

You have several options if this is the case:

You can leave it in the bottle; it will do you no harm.
You can filter it out with a coffee filter or similar and discard it. Your vinegar will be fine.
You can put it in a bottle with (perhaps not so great) wine and/or the leftovers of bottles and make vinegar.

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Can white wine vinegar get moldy?

No, commercially packaged white wine vinegar does not spoil, but its appearance and flavor may begin to deteriorate over time; the storage time indicated is only for best quality.

What is floating in my white wine vinegar?

All About Vinegar Mother In fact \u2014 congratulations \u2014 you have a mother. A vinegar mother, that is. Yes, it looks rather grungy and scary, floating on the top of the vinegar like that, but this spongy mass of bacteria is completely harmless.

Does mold feed on vinegar?

Does vinegar kill mold? Yes! Household white vinegar contains between 5 and 8 percent acetic acid. Acetic acid has a pH of around 2.5 that can disrupt the growth of a range of microorganisms.

How do you know when vinegar goes bad?

According to The Vinegar Institute, \u201cvinegar's shelf life is almost indefinite\u201d and due to the high acidity of the product, it is also \u201cself-preserving and does not need refrigeration.\u201d Phew. This infinite shelf life applies to unopened and opened bottles of vinegar of all kinds.

Does Vinegar Kill Mold? Watch This Before You Use It...

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