White mold on vanilla beans

[CorneliusAlphonse]

Just found about 1/2 lb of vanilla beans from last spring, packed in with my brewing stuff. at one end of the beans, there is a patch of white fuzzy ish looking stuff. looks like mold. should i just cut off that section and use the beans like normal?

[bluenose]

I'm not a microbiologist, but my thinking is that since mold spores are smaller than the eye can see, then if there's enough on one end that you can see them, chances are there's more on the rest of the bean that you can't see. That's why when once piece of bread gets moldy, the whole loaf is toast, muwahaha

[CorneliusAlphonse]

no one has any experience with this, i'm guessing? should i have refrigerated the beans after i opened, or just used em faster?

i attached a pic of the cut off end, just for reference

VanillaMold.jpg

[mr x]

I keep mine in the basement in a vac pac, and they are fine.

[know1]

It could be mold, or it could just be the vanillin in the beans crystallizing on the surface:

http://www.vanillareview.com/2008/vanil ... and-givre/

[NASH]

That's not vanillin, it's mould. Mine from the spring group buy did the same thing. It's from the beans NOT being dried/cured enough. Like anything else including hops and weed, if they aren't dried enough they aren't stable. Generally happens when companies like to sell us water weight. I have 4 different varieties of beans I bought 2 years ago in my cupboard with no sign of mould. Beans should be very stable for storage when properly cured. Btw, storage suggestions for beans are to NOT refrigerate or freeze - cool and dark, preferably in an oxygen barrier; mason jar, vac-pac etc. I remember when I got the ones last spring thinking they were WAY too gummy and wet to last, I'll never buy another bean from them, me no rikey pay for water.

[jeffsmith]

Mine from the spring did the same, I only got to use about half of them before they started to show signs of mould.

[CorneliusAlphonse]

yeah, it wasn't reflective like vanillin crystals apparently are. is there any use for what's left of the beans or should I chuck em?

[jeffsmith]

yeah, it wasn't reflective like vanillin crystals apparently are. is there any use for what's left of the beans or should I chuck em?

I chucked mine—I'd be worried that there's spores on the "clean" parts of the beans that might contaminate whatever you'd use them in.

[mr x]

That's not vanillin, it's mould. Mine from the spring group buy did the same thing. It's from the beans NOT being dried/cured enough. Like anything else including hops and weed, if they aren't dried enough they aren't stable. Generally happens when companies like to sell us water weight. I have 4 different varieties of beans I bought 2 years ago in my cupboard with no sign of mould. Beans should be very stable for storage when properly cured. Btw, storage suggestions for beans are to NOT refrigerate or freeze - cool and dark, preferably in an oxygen barrier; mason jar, vac-pac etc. I remember when I got the ones last spring thinking they were WAY too gummy and wet to last, I'll never buy another bean from them, me no rikey pay for water.

Which order was that from?

[LeafMan66_67]

Mine (also showing signs of mould) are from this order http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/viewto ... nilla+bean

[jeffsmith]

Mine were from the order before that, I believe.

[mr x]

Odd, I wonder how many people this happened to...

[RubberToe]

Happened to mine too, with the order X did right before that.

Sent from the brew timer.

[mr x]

Don't know what to tell you. Still in mint condition.

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

[RubberToe]

I didn't store mine properly and had them in the fridge just in the bag too long.

Sent from the brew timer.

[GAM]

I soaked mine in booze. I don't think there is any mold.

Sandy

[maltster]

After seeing these posts I thought I'd better check mine. They are fine. They were just stored in a plastic container in the basement. It reminded me that I've got to make more vanilla!

IMG420.jpg

[mr x]

yeah, I stored mine in some pretty abusive ways, and they are all fine....