What is Mold?
Like yeast, mold is a fungus, but the difference is that it grows as a multicellular organism rather than the single cell structure of yeast. Some mold on food can be toxic, spreading disease whereas other different types of mold are actually more environmentally friendly and help to create penicillin which heals.
What is Mildew?
House mildew is just one kind of mold and tends to grow mainly in shower rooms and on windowsills, whereas mold grows mainly on many organic surfaces such as carpets, food, clothing and paper, but both thrive where there is a lot of damp in the air.
Mold vs Mildew
Most of us are aware of the green film which develops on stale and degenerated food. It is nothing but mold at work. Similarly, mildew, a kind of fungus, targets the surfaces like leather, paper and places where the moisture content is very high. It is mostly also called powdery mildew. But apart from this, there are many characteristics to these two, which make them similar as well as which distinguish them.
Mold
Black Mold is basically, a type of fungus, which grow in the form of multicellular filaments called hyphae. These are from the kingdom of microscopic fungi. The tubular, branching hyphae has multiple, identical nuclei and has a connected network. It is considered to be a single organism. Now, molds cannot be found in a specific taxonomic or phylogenetic grouping. However, it could be found in the divisions Zygomycota, Deuteromycota and Ascomycota.
Most of us know the characteristic of mold causing food spoilage, but there are some which play an important role in bio degradation or for producing various foodstuffs, beverages, enzymes and antibiotics. They derive energy not from photosynthesis, but from the organism they dwell in. And interestingly, they may also give away mycotoxins, which in tandem with hydrolytic enzymes disrupt and prevent the growth of competing micro organisms. Black mold in the bathroom is a very common occurrence.
Uses
Medicinal uses involve its role as a constituent in penicillin, in cholesterol lowering drugs like Lovastatin and in cyclosprine, ( derived from a type of mold) which is an immuno suppressant drug, used to suppress rejection of an organ which is transplanted. Then a few other types contribute to the production of gluconic acid and citric acid. This particular one is called Aspergillus Niger.
Types
A few common types of molds are Acremonium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium and Trichoderma.
Mildew
In old English, this was referred to as, or rather it meant honeydew. Later on it came to be known as mildew in its contemporary sense. Primarily it is also a type of fungus – a type of mold and scientifically it is called powdery mildew. It has a flat growth pattern and mostly thrives on surfaces, where the moisture content is very high. Window sills, paper, leather, ceilings, walls and floors of the home with moisture management glitches are more prone to it. Most species are particular to a narrow host range. Moreover, most of them are obligate parasites of flowering plants. Dowry mildew is another plant associated mildew. There are also a few species, which can thrive in conditions which are non airy. Dowry mildew appears as yellow spots on leaves or fruits. It grows on a single cell or spore.
Now that both mold and mildew have been explained, lets take a look at a comparison.
Comparing Mold and Mildew
- Primarily both of them are a kind of fungus.
- While mildew is powdery and targets plants, mold is typically black or green and attacks aging, stale or rotting foodstuffs.
- They both spread from spores.
- Mildew survives on non-living materials – tile, plastic and the likes. On the other hand, mold thrives on products made out of animals and plants and is prevalent in tropical regions. It can be disastrous for crops.
- Both of them however, love moisture and cannot resist surfaces where there is moisture.
- Mildew can destroy books and clothes, whereas even if mold has both ill effects, it has scientific and culinary uses as well.
- Molds also help in fertilization of soil by breaking up waste and dead matter and a few types of the fungus play a significant role in production of a few medicines. On the contrary, mildew does not have any such use.
- Both can aggravate problems like asthma and allergy, but mold typically causes weariness.
- Some molds could grow on plants, but garden mildew only grows on plants.
- Molds are used in the production of various foods, as mentioned, like cheese, bread, sausages, soya sauce, tempeh and a few other things. Mildew is not used for this purpose.
All said and done, both of them are unwanted things and need to be got rid of as soon as possible. Do not let these types of fungus infest your food or home! Keep the possibly fungus prone places dry, to ensure fungus free surfaces.
So that’s it, I sign off here with the hope that the information proved to be useful to you!
By Medha Godbole
So, I guess the best way to control both is to have a well ventilated space, free from too much or continuous moisture and also to clean the most vulnerable areas as regularly as possible. Remember when cleaning it is best to wear a face mask so that any pores that are disturbed duing the cleaning process do not enter the lungs, to cause health problems later.
Powdery Mildew
