Mystery Of Strange Things Found In Vitamin Water Solved: Harmless Mold
"Waiter, there's a bizarre growth in my Vitamin Water bottle!" A Glacéau representative contacted us to officially clear up the mystery surrounding two of our posts where readers sent in pictures of strange mold things they found in their Vitamin Water bottles. She said,
There are two seals in place when the product is manufactured. One seal is a tamper band connected to the cap that separates upon opening the bottle, the other is a vacuum seal that is created during pasteurization. In rare instances, this vacuum seal may be broken. This may typically occur when a bottle experiences high impact due to rough handling through distribution. Air may potentially get into the bottle and mold may then be able to develop. As with any natural product without preservatives, such as bread and fruit, contact with outside air can cause a common mold to form. This is not something that would cause any health issues.
The rep also told me that this is not the first time Vitamin Water has heard of/seen instances of these kinds of molds in their bottles. So, no hazard, beyond the gag factor of finding a harmless mold in your drink,and perhaps even the potential for a science fair project idea! The original photos, all big-size, inside...
(Pics courtesy of readers Jenny and Steve!)
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Comments:
Yeah....so who would want to drink a HARMLESS MOLD?
From what the article earlier today said, I think the mystery item is 33 grams of sugar.
Ill just drink normal water and eat food...but thanks anyways.
I love how, right above the picture of the sluglike thing on the bottle cap, there are the words "you probably need a lawyer".
How do they know the mold is harmless? Some mold is harmless, some isn't. How can they know what kind will form inside of their bottles?
MMMMM!!!!! Flesh-like MOLD!!!!
ugh! Looks nasty!
I'll stick with my generic Walgreen's vitamins and filtered tap water.
@ARPRINCE:
Beats me, but there are plenty of crazy people eating yogurt, which is just bacteria soup. I don't see mold-water as a big jump from there.
@TWinter: They could know what kind of mold will grow if they know what bacteria/cultures are in their drinks.
It looks gross, but a little bit of mold is way better for you than the preservatives that would be needed to prevent that stuff from growing.
Why do people like this Vitamin Water stuff to begin with?
kombucha! ahahahah
Hey. This stuff was on one of those worst things to drink lists yesterday.
I don't touch the stuff since I found out about crystalline Fructose. Turns out from what I've read..and it could be wrong...so do some research and formulate your own ideas....
But it seems like the substance that they use to 'sweeten' this 'drink' is not absorbed in your blood stream like most sugars, processed or unprocessed. This substance can only be metabolized or broken down within your liver...which studies show contribute to a fatty liver.
Sounds like just what I wanted for 2 bucks a pop. I like Honest Tea, and their variety of flavors. Just an FYI.
@shockwaver: Actually gatorade is just water and sugar for the most part. I can't remember the name of one of the gatorades that came out but.... yeah, just purple water.
wow. a company rep really said that? "Don't mind the FUCKING MOLD GROWING IN YOUR DRINK, it's harmless."
"Harmless" though it may be, it's still fucking gross.
@MikeGrenade: I like the taste. Sometimes, I want to drink something sweet, but I don't like soda.
That, and the placebo effect.
@B: they pasteurize the drinks, so there should be nothing living inside after they are sealed.
@The Marionette: water, sugar, and salt (aka electrolytes). The sugar and flavor were used to mask the salty nature of the drink. The salt is good for replacing all the salt your body loses to sweat and other excreted fluids.
That doesn't look like mold. The white stuff looks like some "secret sauce" if you know what I'm sayin, and the slug thing looks like they were trying to re-grow human tissue in a petree dish.
I have never had vitamin water, and I don't think I ever will. Go me!
That thing looks very much like a kombucha scoby and not much like common mold...
It's got what plants crave!
I'd love to get a culture of that "harmless mold" and see what it really is. I'd agree with WiglyWorm that I'd rather have some harmless microbes in there vs. artificial preservatives...but THAT concentration where it's THAT visible isn't good.
This stuff tastes like arse. If you want a placebo effect just down entire handful of vitamins b12, c, d, a, e and a no doze and you're good to go. Probably save yourself from diabetes in the mean time too..
I didn't know penicillin was a vitamin
For those of you who are worried about this mold: this stuff grows in soda fountains, ice machines, and most supermarket meat departments - anyplace with cool temperatures and high humidity. You're probably already drinking plenty of this every day.
I do private health inspections in the retail sector - I see this stuff every day.
50 Cent's molotov cocktail?
9. Moldy food can be salvaged.
Actually by the time there is visible mold, there are probably other malevolent bacteria already present. Moldy food should be thrown out. The exceptions to this rule are firm fruits and cheeses which can be saved if you cut an inch beyond the moldy area.
-from: 10 Popular Food Myths Debunked @ consumerist
I have actually found mold like that in my Snapple bottle twice in the past 20 years or so.
My ass that first one is "mold", unless in another language "mold" means semen
Speaking as a former Vitamin Water addict, VitaRain from Costco tastes every bit as good, and without the excess sugar that the mold likes. Oh, it's cheaper too.
I don't know ANY kind of mold that looks like loose human flesh like the second one does.
That imagine alone, a few months ago, made me stop drinking Vitamin Water. I still gag at it. That is NOT MOLD.
Man that's sick with it, harmless or not.
That second thing looks like cheap pickled ginger at the China Buffet or somebody trying to save their first-born's foreskin as a memento. Revolting. I don't care what it is.
I'll be damned if I ever refer to something that looks like it came from Ed Gein's house as 'harmless'.
I think by "harmless" she means that you aren't going to affected by simply being in its presence (unlike some molds). Note the context of saying it won't cause any health issues; she's comparing it to mold found on bread and fruit.
I'm not a scientist, but I'm pretty sure neither those are mold. Especially the pickled ginger one. Ew. Has the company rep seen these images? Would the company rep drink either of these, like, on camera, to prove that it's okay for the rest of us? Come on, rep, take one for the team!
Well I am a scientist (food scientist even), and I know for a fact those are mold. It's not an uncommon thing in sugary beverages.
My friend Mike would love to try it.
Well people eat mushrooms, which is basically fungus, so what's the difference?
because they aren't making mushroom flavored juice.
shit, and i like vitamin water too...gdmfer.
Urk. Just what I wanted with my over priced watered down gatorade.. Mold!