How Do You Know If A Mango Is Bad?
Simply look for the mango’s texture – if the mango is not firm or has soft texture in some places then it means that it has started to go bad. Moreover, unpleasant smell, mold, or even brown marks on a mango also means that the fruit has started to go bad or is completely spoiled.
It is important to know that overripe mangoes that are spoilt are two different things. If you have never eaten mangoes before, you might find it hard to know whether they are ripe, overripe, or if they are bad.
Fortunately, there are several indicators that you can look for to tell whether or not your mango is ripe, including how it looks and feels. To determine if a mango is ripe, look at the colour of the skin, how firm the mango flesh is, and how it smells. When you are assessing ripeness, the first thing that you should rely on is the way the fruit feels in your hands. The best way to test your mango is by taking a nice sniff around its stem area, as mangos scent is strongest there, and it will give you a better sense of what a mango really smells like.
If a mango feels somewhat mushy, but a lot of the skin is still green, then chances are that it is ripe and ready to be eaten. If you get past the look, smell, and taste of the mango, and you still feel like your mango is safe for eating, it probably is. If a mango has a strong, fruity, and sweet scent, the mango is probably completely ripe and ready for consumption.
A ripe mango has a uniform, shiny color, has fruity smell on stem end, and should give under light pressure when squeezed. A mango also produces a mildly sweet, aromatic scent at its stem end when more mature. If you get an intense, fruity, and sweet scent, the most likely is that the mango is fully ripe and in its perfect eating stage.
| How to tell if a mango is bad? | Shelf Life |
| If the mango has black spots over its entire skin, then it has certainly got bad. | Ripe mangoes will last for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. |
| You can also tell by its bad odor, odd flavor and taste. | Freezing mangoes extend their shelf lives up to 6 months. |
Some mangoes change colors when ripe, and if you know which colors to look for, for this mango variety, you are well on your way to having a great indication to know whether or not your mango is ripe. Since different varieties are different colors when ripe, you will want to use each of the different description for varieties below, in order to know how to tell when your mango is ripe. Using your 5 senses, checking appearance, checking smell, checking feel, you can make a fairly accurate assessment as to whether or not a mango is ripe, as long as you know what to look for.
By the way if you are interested in Can You Eat The Mango Skin, then check out my another article.
To tell whether or not a mango is ripe, just squeeze the fruit lightly between your thumb and index finger. You can take out a piece of a mango that is too ripe for eating, and use the rest of the fruit instead. To ripen the mango faster, put it into a paper bag with another fruit that is ripe, like an apple or a banana. If one portion of a mango has become overripe in a way that does not appeal to you, you can pull it off and use the rest of the fruit.
If the spot is small and the flesh of the fruit is solid, remove the area with a spot and use the remaining fruit. If the black spots are slightly deeper in the mango, you can still safely eat the mango, peeling off the mango with a knife or spoon, discarding the black spots.
Can Oregano Get You High? Check out this article to find out about it!
However, if several spots are black and cover most of the fruit, you may very well have a bad mango on your hands, since that is the hallmark of black mould. Because dark spots, appearing like small circular spots on a mango, mean the mango has started rotting. Once you have cut into the overripe mango, you will notice the interior of the fruit is soft to the touch, and has a different, darker color than the rest of the ripe mango.
Ripe mangoes can vary in color from greenish, to yellow, to red, and you can see all three colors on a single piece of fruit. Now that you know how to recognize a ripe mango, keep in mind that this healthy, sweet fruit can be peeled, sliced, or diced.
If your mango is limp, watery, brown or black, or tastes strange, you should stop eating the fruit. If you bit into the mango and noticed it has an odd flavor, then you want to make a note. You cannot really use bad mangoes because more often than not, the flavor is not right, or, at worst, infested with worms. If the mangoes smell acidic, alcoholic, or even slightly bitter, that is a sure sign the mango is overripe and decaying.
The reason why mangoes produce such strong odors when they begin to deteriorate is because of their high sugar content, which causes it to naturally ferment, making the taste of overripe mangoes likely to be just as bad as the smell. Like other fruits and vegetables, spoiled mangoes will look and smell significantly different from their fresh counterparts. A bad mango will have the squishiest, most rubbery texture, and over-exaggerate any dark spots or bruises. A good mango will usually yield slightly when you press it, have spots of orange, red, and yellow, and generally produce a sweet aroma when you cut it.
If the mango is uniformly green and very firm, expect it to be ready to consume in five days to one week. There can be some additional days if the mature mango is not fully ripe by the time you put it into the fridge. Remember to check on mangoes every day or two; since mangoes will continue to ripen at room temperature, they are best placed in the fridge once they are ripe, where they will keep for five to 14 days. If you want to keep the mangoes longer, you can just put them in the freezer, where they will last for up to 6 months.
You can also add any other fruits or vegetables that produce ethylene gas into a paper bag with the mangoes to expedite things. Alternatively, you can soak your fruits in a bag of rice, which also does an excellent job at capturing the ethylene.
What happens if you eat a bad mango?
Eating bad or rotten mangoes can be very hazardous and dangerous for humans. It can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and other digestion-related infections. It is also been told that eating mangoes that are ripened by injecting them with some compounds can cause severe neurological problems.
Can you get food poisoning from mango?
No amount of washing will be able to get rid of the bacteria once they’ve gotten inside the fruit. With so many mangoes being washed at once, there may be a large number of contaminated mangoes, which could result in a large number of Salmonellosis cases.
Is a mango still good if it’s brown?
You won’t get damaged by the dark flesh, but it won’t taste very good and might even be mushy. If it is localized, try slicing it out of the fruit and eating the remaining portions. However, don’t be shocked if the flavor is not particularly pleasing all around. Fruit that is too ripe frequently tastes sweet, mushy, and bad.