In art school in the seventies, I did the first mold-free food art. Yep. I took a sandwich, the kind you get in those triangular plastic boxes, and took all the pieces apart, and hung it mobile-style in the art building's stairwell. There it floated for countless aeons until they built a new art building at KU and left the Calder-inspired sandwich mobile--pastrami, cheese, mayo, and tomato on wheat--to the wrecking ball. I'm guessing it's natamycin or something like that added to prevent mold.