Tempeh vs Cobweb Mould: How do you tell them apart?

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Tempeh vs Cobweb Mould: How do you tell them apart?

Postby Ivy on Wed Dec 10, 2014 2:41 pm

How do you tell the different between Tempeh and Cobweb mould?

When I attempted my first tempeh last week, I thought I had grown Cobweb mould instead of tempeh. The mould was fuzzy, airy and stood tall above the beans, about an inch or so.

I was expecting the tempeh culture to look like a dense, rubbery mycelium around the beans, not fluffy above the beans! A couple of days ago I saw a time-lapse video of the Tempeh culture (Rhizopus oryzae) growing and realized it looks just like cobweb mould when it's growing! It was very fluffy and stood tall above the beans. So now I think maybe that IS tempeh that I grew after all!

I put the tray in the freezer. When I cut into it, it looked like tempeh under all that fluffy web-like stuff, with dense rubbery mycelium growing between the beans. I had let it incubate for 3 days, since, well, I figured it was not tempeh and just watched what it would do, so the fluffy stuff is an airy dark greyish carpet.

What do you think? Did I grow Tempeh, or Cobweb mould?

If it is tempeh, do you eat that fluffy stuff on top or do you scrap it off?

My experiment is still in the freezer and I am wondering if it is salvageable.

[Cobweb mould: Mushroom growers sometimes see Cobweb mould growing on the substrate. It grows when it's humid with little airflow. It can be sprayed with hydrogen peroxide to kill it. Common names are Cobweb Mold, Downy Mildew, Soft Mildew. Latin name: dactylium].

Time Lapse Video of Tempeh Growing: Rhizopus oryzae grows on tempeh over 4 days (20 seconds). Cornell University Plant Pathology Photo Lab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_KCMNdbj-o
Ivy
 
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Re: Tempeh vs Cobweb Mould: How do you tell them apart?

Postby Tibor on Thu Dec 11, 2014 12:29 am

Tempeh should take 24 -28 hours. You should have a white carpet of fuzz and you don't scrape anything off . It is supposed to be dense and rubbery, so looks like you did fine with the fuzz and all. The white fuzz will turn gray if you incubate for too long .It may be a bit bitter by then. If it smells OK, fry some up and try a bit. I vacuum seal extra tempeh to keep it fresh and freeze for later.
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Re: Tempeh vs Cobweb Mould: How do you tell them apart?

Postby Ivy on Thu Dec 11, 2014 12:54 am

Thanks Tibor! This is such a big help! Looks like my first attempt making tempeh was a success and I didn't even know it! Hahaha! :D
Ivy
 
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