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Is It Safe To Eat Pre Cut Watermelon?
It is safe to eat pre cut watermelon but only if certain conditions are being fulfilled. First, after being cut these pieces should immediately be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Secondly, it is best to consume pre cut watermelon within three to four days of cutting it.
Because there is a far greater likelihood of bacteria being present in pre-cut fruits, pregnant women should avoid watermelon that is been cut in advance, including fruit bars, fresh fruit mixing bowls, and packaged, pre-cut watermelon. Because pre-cut fruits, like watermelon, have a higher likelihood of being contaminated with bacteria, like salmonella.
Therefore, you are better off not eating pre-cut watermelon when you are pregnant, like packaged pre-cut watermelon, or mixed with your fresh fruit gut. For example, you should avoid buying watermelon at a grocery store, as it is more likely than not contaminated with bacteria.
Freshly cut watermelon needs to be covered and kept refrigerated at 41degF (5C) or lower in order to keep the bacteria from growing. If your home or where you are going to serve your watermelon is reaching 90degF, you are advised to refrigerate your watermelon. In general, you are encouraged to store uncut watermelon in a cool, dark area for up to 3 days.
According to the National Foodservice Management Institute, you should refrigerate your entire watermelon for 24 hours before cutting. You can purchase one whole watermelon, thoroughly wash it, cut into slices, and store the slices in a 41F freezer to keep the bacteria from growing. It may take a week or two for the fruit to reach your supermarket, and it may have been sitting there for a couple days before you bought it.
| How to store freshly cut watermelon properly? | Shelf Life |
| Purchase one whole watermelon, thoroughly wash it and cut into slices. | Uncut watermelon stays for up to 3 days in cool, dark area. |
| Then store the slices in the refrigerator (below 40°F) to keep the bacteria from growing. | Sliced watermelon lasts for 3-5 days in the refrigerator (32-34°F). |
Of course, if a whole watermelon does not go through this much transit time, and you grab it just after it hits the produce section, chances are that it is going to be around a couple days longer. If you want to taste the taste of a watermelon, you will want to try and consume it within two weeks after buying from the market. If you have slices or quarters of watermelon handy, it is often easier to determine whether or not it is still good.
By the way if you are interested in Are Black Watermelon Seeds Bad For You, then check out my another article.
When checking for patches, or places of ripeness, on a watermelons surface, anybody can tell whether or not it is bad. If a watermelons skin easily cuts through or gives under pressure when squeezed, then it is either rotten or overcooked. If watermelon is not washed prior to cutting, germs are present on the outer skin, spreading over slices using knives used to cut.
When fruits are not washed prior to cutting, the bacteria usually found on the outer skin or peel may take up residence on the knife, spreading the contamination to cut slices of the fruit. It is possible for salmonella to spread to cut fruit if a melons rind is not properly washed before cutting; cross-contamination is also possible in the wash step. It is also essential to thoroughly wash your fruit before eating it, as bacteria can easily grow on the melon surfaces.
It is essential that you clean your hands, cutting board, and knife blades thoroughly before cutting your sliced watermelon. Be sure to wash thoroughly with a knife, outside of your melon, and on the food preparation surfaces (countertops or cutting boards) so that your watermelon is not left with any germs. Then, put your cut melon into your fridge or an ice chest to keep it cool; this will keep any microbes that have missed your clean up from growing too fast.
To learn about Can You Eat A Mango Peel, then check out my another article.
The best way to store any cut melon, no matter its size, is to wrap the cut ends with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge up to one week. If you end up with more pieces of cut watermelon than you can use within days, then you are definitely looking for ways to extend this fruits shelf life. Now that you know the signs of bad watermelon, let us talk about how long you can store it.
Watermelon can be a great fruit for keeping you cool while pregnant, especially in hot summer days. Overall, watermelon is wrapped in many pregnancy myths, but do not worry, this fruit can be a completely safe addition to any pregnancy diet. This fruit contains an antioxidant known as lycopene, which may boost your immune system and lower your chances of developing pre-eclampsia.
Watermelon is eaten as is or blended with other fruits like strawberries, oranges, kiwis, grapes, bananas, and pineapple. You can make fruit salads out of watermelon, serve it in dishes, slurp it up whenever you are thirsty, and just plain enjoy when you like. If you cut watermelon up and are unsure whether or not it is edible because it looks like it is, sniff it to find out its sweet scent.
If you have sliced a piece of the watermelon, you should not eat the rind as it contains harmful bacteria. To minimize the risks for younger children, serve seedless watermelon with the rind (with the rind cut into big, thick pieces) with most of the fruit removed, so that children can use the rind more as a teether. If you want to keep serving watermelon on the rind, by all means, do; serving it on the rind may be a good strategy for babies and toddlers who are shoving too much food in their mouths at one time.
Eating large amounts of watermelon may give some folks digestive discomfort (more on this below), but reasonable portions of the fruit are unlikely to cause serious problems. Eating moderate amounts of watermelon while pregnant, particularly as a fruit, will not put you at risk for gestational diabetes.
I am going to explain to you the differences between the two types of fruits, and if they are safe to eat. When cutting watermelon, look for the reddish to dark-pink flesh, which has black seeds, however, there are also perfectly ripe watermelons.
From the exterior, a watermelon should either display robust, uniform greenish-pine or have the appearance of stripes with darker shades of pine and yellow-green. Watermelon does not smell very strongly from the outside, but it does smell slightly pleasant. In fact, they lose their fragrance entirely if you leave them sitting in the refrigerator for longer than two weeks. You can also freeze watermelon slices, but the texture will be soft when they thaw (which is great for soups and cold smoothies).
Does pre-cut watermelon spoil?
Like most foods, watermelon may rot quite rapidly. There was always an expiration date on the label of pre-cut watermelon packets, and you should pay attention to it. The issue is that although rotting watermelon may appear and smell normal, its sour flavor alerts you that it is no longer edible.
Is it safe to eat precut fruit?
Fruit is frequently treated with preservatives and antibacterial treatments since cutting it ahead of time exposes the edible surfaces to diseases like salmonella and e. coli. That’s fine if you’re cool with it; just think about washing the slices and chunks before you use them.