Eli5: Why does white bread grow mold so much faster than wheat.

Question

The title says it all. When I buy white bread, it will get mold after a week or two, but wheat bread can last over a month or longer.

Or is it that I just can’t see the mold on the wheat bread (gross.)

thanks for you time

In: Other

Answer 1

Almost certainly preservatives. To rule that out, try this experiment: purchase one white loaf and one wheat loaf from the same manufacturer on the same day and see how fast they grow mold.

Also this post really puts things in perspective, as my freshly baked white bread typically lasts 5-6 days and my wheat bread rarely lasts longer than 4 days before growing mold. That is why I think there must be some kind of preservative supplementing their recipe. In general whole wheat flour is more nutritious, allowing all kinds of microorganisms to proliferate, which is why it is used for sourdough culture/starters.