Mangosteen, which is also called the queen of fruits, has a limited shelf life of only a few weeks. Having all the required knowledge about your fruit is a good thing. If you are unsure of whether your mangosteen is still safe to eat or not, don’t worry. Continue reading to find out how to tell if mangosteen is bad. Here’s how to tell if mangosteen is bad.
You can tell your mangosteen is bad if you notice that it is dripping juice. It’s not a good sign if the fruit is unusually mushy and dripping with liquid. Mangosteen should not be consumed if you notice a change in its texture or color. Also, mangosteens should have white, firm flesh. You shouldn’t consume it if it doesn’t.
How To Tell If Mangosteen Is Bad – 3 Best Ways
There are a few symptoms to watch for when mangosteens are bad or have gone bad. Even though the fruit may be showing indications of deterioration, it may still be safe to consume. Below is how to tell if mangosteen is bad;
1. Appearance
In terms of appearance, it might be challenging to distinguish mangosteens from under-ripe and rotten fruit due to their rind. Mangosteens that are under-ripe or rotten will have an extremely tough rind.
Consequently, you should be aware of the date of fruit harvest. It’s probably not ripe yet if it was just purchased from the store and the rind is hard. If the peel feels extremely hard when you squeeze it, the mangosteen has already matured and is, therefore, bad.
2. Texture And Color
The flesh of the mangosteens should be completely white in color and firm to the touch. The color will begin to deepen and turn almost translucent as it degrades. As the color of the flesh starts to darken, the texture will start to become mushy and soft. This indicates that the fruit is beginning to spoil. Also, if the color darkens in a few spots and the flesh becomes mushy, you can still eat it. Simply cut out the darkened region, then consume the remaining fruit. However, it’s best to discard it if the entire piece of flesh turns dark and becomes mushy.
3. Taste
Mangosteens that aren’t good quality have a sour flavor. The fruit’s appearance will hopefully deter you from eating any more of it, so you won’t ever need to taste it.
How Long Do Mangosteens Last?
Ripe mangosteens will keep for a few days at room temperature. If the environment is cold, they will last a little longer. According to Purdue University, ripe mangosteens keep well for 3 to 4 weeks in storage at 40o to 55o F. As a result, the refrigerator is the ideal location for long-term storage.
Unripe mangosteens can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 weeks. However, its shelf life may be shorter or longer depending on how cold or warm the environment is. Mangosteens will keep for a longer time in a room that is cooler in temperature. However, their shelf life will be reduced faster in a hotter environment.
Unripe mangosteens can be kept in the fridge for up to a month. It’s not advised to keep them in the refrigerator for so long, though. The ripening process will be slowed if unripe mangosteens are kept in the refrigerator. The fruit will nevertheless keep ripening. The fruit won’t taste great if you eat it because it is ripening too long.
The mangosteen will remain fresh in the freezer for up to a year. Mangosteen should not, however, be frozen because the frozen temperature will harm the fruit’s flesh.
Mangosteen has luscious white flesh inside. It would be beneficial if you avoided freezing mangosteen; it is not advised. Mangosteen’s inside flesh might become damaged when frozen. In contrast to other fruits, the mangosteen’s flesh suffers severe harm from freezing.
It’s difficult to expect frozen mangosteen to still have the same fresh texture. This fruit does not go well with freezing; it will be better if you don’t try to freeze them at all, whether they are ripe or not. Fruits can occasionally be frozen to increase their shelf life. However, mangosteen is an exception. Not all fruits are good for freezing.
Best Method Of Choosing Mangosteen
Summers are the ideal season to purchase mangosteens. The best fruits are available during their peak season. However, you can readily locate them all year long. You can get mangosteen from the Asian market; you will have the opportunity of choosing the mangosteens of the highest quality.
If you’re unfamiliar with this fruit, it’s advised to get it from a local market, even if you can buy them online. Additionally, it will help you save a ton of money. To buy the right mangosteen, look for the ones which are deep purple, lustrous, and have a green cap along with some leaves once you’ve located your local Asian fruit store.
Use your thumb to apply a little pressure; their skin shouldn’t have any perforations or resin discharge. If there’s any resin discharge, this suggests that insects have previously consumed food and gone bad.
Additionally, as we previously said, choose a mixture of some firm fruits and a few slightly more mature fruits if you’re buying them for later usage. The firm ones should ripen till you’re ready to use them, while the ripe ones can be used in two to three days.
How To Store Your Mangosteen
There are different ways you can store your mangosteen to have a longer shelf life, so you wouldn’t have to worry about how to tell if mangosteen is bad. Use the following techniques while storing mangosteen.
Room temperature
Mangosteen can remain at room temperature for a few days at most. Although, It is preferable to eat it before it goes bad. If you bought unripe mangosteen, you must wait until they are fully ripe. To achieve this, you must allow them to ripen naturally at room temperature.
Mangosteen will become ripe in about three days at room temperature. They shouldn’t be kept at room temperature for more than a few days once they have ripened. The ideal practice is to not store ripe mangosteen longer than three days at room temperature.
Dark Cool Places
Fruit may be kept for a long time in cool, dark areas. It would be preferable if you stored mangosteen away from excessive moisture in dark, cool areas. Remember that fruit can never survive for an extended time under high heat or heavy dampness
Fruits become harmful when they develop bacteria on their surface due to excessive moisture, which stimulates bacterial growth. Mangosteen should be kept away from extreme heat and wetness. To extend the life shelf of mangosteen, avoid prolonged exposure to heat and moisture.
Refrigerate It
Mangosteen should be kept in the drawer of your refrigerator with other fruits. The best option for storing your mangosteens is refrigeration. Mangosteen’s shelf life is increased by refrigeration, and the likelihood of early deterioration is decreased. Mangosteen should be kept in the refrigerator because it lasts longer and keeps healthy and fresh.
Places You Can Buy Mangosteens
Mangosteens are commonly seen during the summer, Although they can also be found throughout the rest of the year. Your best chance of getting mangosteen is buying from Asian markets; it’s also cheaper to buy from here. However, you can also get fresh mangosteens online, such as on Amazon. But be aware that most merchants demand overnight shipping due to the mangosteen’s limited shelf life, making it more expensive.
What Is The Side Effect Of Mangosteen?
They include constipation, nausea, fatigue, bloating, and vomiting. Also, Mangosteen gel may be harmless when used on the gums. Whether mangosteen is safe to take while pregnant or breastfeeding is unknown due to a lack of relevant information.
What Are The Illnesses That Mangosteen Can Cure?
Mangosteen has been used to treat diarrhea and skin diseases. Mangosteen is thought to have potent antioxidant, anti-allergic, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and antimalarial properties, according to recent scientific investigations (Gutierrez-Orozco and Failla 2013).
What Happens If You Eat Too Much Mangosteen?
Mangosteen has many negative side effects when consumed in excess. It may slow down blood coagulation, prevent chemotherapy from working properly, cause bloating, create lactic acidosis (the buildup of lactate in the body), and cause diarrhea, constipation, and acid reflux.
Is Mangosteen Good For Skin?
The fruit also encourages microcirculation, which enhances the look of skin vitality and luminosity, in addition to using xanthones to protect the skin. The mangosteen has historically been used for a variety of skin issues, including eczema.
Conclusion On How To Tell If Mangosteen Is Bad
How to tell if mangosteen is bad? As we mentioned above, if your mangosteen is bad, it will leak out the juice, there will be a change of color, the juice will get sour, and so on. We also mentioned the different methods of storing your mangosteen to prolong the shelf life and advised against freezing your mangosteen because it can utter the taste or affect the flesh of your mangosteen. From our article above, we hope you will know how to tell if mangosteen is bad.
Hiiii! My name is Ruth and I am an experienced chef with a passion for food and cooking. My love of baking began when I was nine, and I have since been refining my skills in the kitchen ever since.
