Having found moldy bread on the table, few people will be delighted. For most people, this is an unpleasant, but familiar phenomenon. Although in fact the white mold, or the mukor mushroom, is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Today in the world there are about 60 species of this culture. Some of them have learned to apply in their work, but there are also those that are dangerous to health. Who is this mysterious mushroom mukor - friend or foe, try to figure it out.
Description
Mukor - a fungus of the genus of mold, arising on food, soil, organic matter of plant origin in violation of the conditions of their storage. 
At the initial stage, it looks like a whitish fuzz, so its second name is white mold.
Did you know? In 1922 in Egypt, for the first time, the unhazed tomb of Pharaoh was discovered - the burial of Tutankhamun. Most of the team of archaeologists working at the site died within a short time after the discovery. The chain of these unpleasant events gave rise to rumors of a curse that overtook the pharaoh’s trespassers. However, in 1999, German microbiologists found the cause of mass death: mummies in the tomb were covered with a special kind of mold, which, once in the human body through the respiratory tract, led to rapid death of people.
As the colony matures, the formation of the sporangia begins to further reproduce the fungus. They give mukor grayish or beige color, and by the time of maturation completely blackened.
Mushroom structure
Under the microscope, the mucor colony looks quite interesting. The basis of it - the mycelium, which is a large branched cell with many nuclei.
With the help of white threads (hyphae) this body is fixed in the soil. Like real roots, these threads branch, dwindling closer to the edges of the mycelium. 
The mold visible to the naked eye is the sporangiophores, the hairs growing from the main mycelium.
If the parasite settled in comfortable conditions, then these hairs will reach several centimeters in height. In the process of maturation of mucor on sporangiophores appear sporangia - boxes containing spores for reproduction.
We advise you to familiarize yourself with the list of edible and poisonous mushrooms, also learn how to check the mushrooms for edibility by popular methods.
If at this stage of development you look at a mushroom under a microscope, then its appearance will be similar to a pillow, studded with pins. Therefore, this fungus is often referred to as capitate mold.
At the last stage of growth in mucor burst sporangia shells, and thousands of ripe spores, ready to give life to the next generations of fungal colonies, are scattered in all directions. Because of their microscopic size, they can only be seen with special equipment.
Breeding
Mukor breeds in two ways:
- using a dispute. For their cultivation, he needs good nutrition, warmth, access to moisture and fresh air. Ripe disputes are spread by air masses;
Important! If disputes are not lucky enough to get into life-comfortable conditions, then for a long time they can be dormant, while maintaining their viability. And when the situation becomes more pleasant, they quickly germinate, forming a new mycelium.
- sexually. If the soil on which the colonies grow is no longer able to feed them, then the hyphae of different mycelium begin to converge, connecting with their heads, the gametangia. As a result of this merger, a spike-covered zygote is formed. After maturation, its shell bursts, releasing the germinal mycelium, on which sporangia arise with spores for sexual reproduction. And only their union leads to the creation of a full-fledged powerful mushroom body.
Nutrition
In the world there is no place wherever the mold has settled. It is found on the walls of atomic reactors, on orbital satellites, on food products, soil and waste. Wherever it is warm, humid and there is something to eat, there will be a mukor mushroom. And his diet is very diverse, characterized by high calorie.
Did you know? Fragile at first glance, the mold can destroy brick, plaster and even concrete.
Topping the list of delicacies is white bread, potatoes, and sweet fruit. 
Mukor mushroom on white bread According to the type of food, mold is referred to as saprotrophs - organisms that suck the nutrients from dead organics.
Important! Infection is possible by inhalation of spores or their penetration through a wound on the skin under the condition of reduced immunity.
Using
Among the 60 species of mucor there are very useful for humans, because with their help:
- make cheese. For the preparation of popular tofu and tempeh, sourdough on the basis of mucor is taken, and marble and blue cheeses are created on the basis of blue "noble" mold;
- cook sausage. Such delicacies are typical for Italy and Spain, where there are special technologies for the processing of meat products. In accordance with them, sausages are kept in the basement for a month, where they are covered with white or light green mold. Then special processing of products is carried out, and after 3 months they are fully ready for further use;
- make potato alcohol;
- get drugs. From rammannian mucor produce a special type of antibiotics - ramitsin.
Mucor based cheeseDanger
But Mukor is not only beneficial. Some of its species can harm human health. Among the most well-known diseases provoked by mold is mucoromicosis. Getting into the human body, the fungus infects the internal organs, causing the death of the organism. Animals may also become infected.
Of the 60 species, only five pose a real threat to humans, and several more are dangerous to animals.
The most popular edible mushrooms are: chanterelles, white mushrooms, russules, honey agarics, volushki, ryadovki, mokhovik, milk mushrooms, boletus mushrooms and boletus.
Mukor, or white mold, is a fairly primitive organism that develops rapidly in the presence of suitable conditions. Some of its species are cultivated in laboratories for further use in cooking and medicine. But in the domestic environment from such a "decoration" on the walls, surfaces and products should be disposed of as soon as possible in order to avoid health problems.
