How can vinegar go mouldy?

[Joolee1980]

I had a jar of pickled cucumbers, it had been opened and there were still some left, but I noticed patches of mould on the surface of the vinegar. How can that be?

[boxtops]

Quite easily once it's opened and the air gets to it, the furry bits start to form. It's a phenomenon I see quite often in my house.

I've just chucked out some Marmite which still looked perfectly good, but had been open for years - best before June 2008.

[Mamyalynne]

Boxy is right, the vinegar itself has not gone mouldy but if the tips of any pickles come into contact with air in the jar then mould will form.

[Clanad]

We make our own fermented dill pickles (and others) and the fermentation process (which takes up to 3 or 4 weeks) produces a whitish mold. This is a good sign and it's removed every two or three days until the right crispness and taste in the pickles is achieved. So... your mold is primarily continued fermentation. simply remove it and continue. Keep in mind, the nose knows... anything truly rotten is told at once by the odor. Pickles can get overly salty, but in vinegar and salt brine, it's nearly impossible to "go off"...

[heathfield]

Check out 'Mother of Vinegar' here...

http://www.wisegeek.c...mother-of-vinegar.htm