Effect of the bread‐baking process on destruction of certain mould spores

Because of conflicting statements in the literature, experiments have been carried out in which spores of moulds commonly associated with mouldy bread have been incorporated in bread doughs before baking. It has been demonstrated that such moulds and the ascospores of Neurospora tetrasperma are killed well before the end of the baking period. This evidence supports the contention that in normal bakery practice moulds do not survive baking and that mould growth on bread is due to post‐baking contamination with mould spores.