The fruit at home only rotted a little
You are thrown away whole
Or cut off the bad parts and eat them
Which fruits are more likely to rot
The weather was hot
How to preserve the fruit
See what the experts have to say
▏ Experts interviewed
Ruan Guangfeng, Director of the Science and Technology Communication Department and Deputy Research Librarian of The Science and Technology Communication Center of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center
The fruit is a little rotten, is it better to throw it away or cut it off to eat?
It depends on the rotten fruit
What causes it
There are generally three conditions of fruit damage:
Mechanical damage
It is likely that the fruit is damaged by bumping, squeezing or abrasion during the picking, storage, transportation and sale process. Bumping is only the cell damage, cytoplasm overflow, some polyphenols into dark quinone substances, resulting in local discoloration of the fruit, soft, most of the time not infected by bacteria and other harmful substances, so it can continue to eat.
However, the fruit after the "injury" should be eaten as soon as possible, otherwise the bacteria will take advantage of the void at any time.
frostbite
Mainly in the low-temperature storage environment, the activity of superoxide dismutase in fruits becomes low, resulting in it not being able to remove free radicals inside the cell in time. More and more free radicals, the permeability of the fruit cell membrane will change, the structure of the cell will be destroyed, at the same time, the low temperature environment will also make the fruit in the pectin esterase activity increased, enzyme substances will decompose the insoluble pectin inside the fruit, resulting in the fruit become soft and rotten.
"Frostbite" fruits are just cell damage and there are no microorganisms or toxins, so they can be eaten.
Microbial infestation
It is because it has deteriorated due to too long, and even if it is only a little rotten, it must be thrown away.
Because the penicillium exhibitum bacteria that grow after the fruit deteriorates will produce penicillin, which enters the human body, it may cause intestinal dysfunction, kidney edema and other problems. Studies have found that this toxin is not only present in the decaying part visible to the naked eye, in some cases, the unnatured part contains penicillinic toxins can even reach 10% to 50% of the decayed part, but we can't see it.
If it is not clear for which reason the fruit is "rotten a little", it is recommended to just throw it away.
Which fruits are more likely to rot
Fruit plucked from the branches can still absorb oxygen from the air, and then under the action of enzymes to break down the nutrients it contains. This "aerobic breath" begins by breaking down starch into sugars that sweeten the fruit.
But if you continue to "breathe", you will convert the sugar, organic acids, etc. in the fruit into carbon dioxide and water, resulting in less nutrients in the fruit and a continuous dry appearance. At the same time, the fruit's own ability to resist the invasion of microorganisms will gradually weaken, and the microorganisms in the environment will take advantage of the void, resulting in the gradual decay and deterioration of the fruit.
In general, the greater the intensity of "aerobic respiration", the faster the fruit is consumed and the shorter the storage time:
● Generally, the respiratory intensity of ripe fruits in summer is higher than that of fruits ripe in autumn;
● Southern fruits have greater respiratory intensity than northern fruits;
● Early maturing varieties have greater respiratory intensity than late maturing varieties;
● Berries (strawberries, blueberries, etc.) have a higher respiratory intensity than citrus and stone fruits (apples, pears, etc.).
In addition to the difference in the variety itself, temperature is also an important factor affecting the respiratory intensity of the fruit, within a certain range, the higher the temperature, the greater the respiratory intensity.
How to preserve the fruit
Apples, pears, apricots, peaches, mangoes, plums, persimmons, bananas, watermelons, tomatoes, kiwi fruits, etc. can be eaten after being bought home and put at room temperature when they are ripe and soft, or they can be stored in the refrigerator after they are ripe and soft.
Citrus, grapes, lychees, cherries, pineapples, strawberries, etc. are best put directly in the refrigerator and wrapped in paper bags after buying them home.
Fruit that is not ripe, it is best not to put it in the refrigerator. For example, unripe mangoes, bananas, pineapples, papayas, etc., once cold, cannot mature normally.
Note that after the fruit is removed from the refrigerator, it should be eaten as soon as possible and not put back in the refrigerator, otherwise it will accelerate the rot.
Reporter/Li Jian
Source: China Consumer Daily