Not wasting fruit, especially berries, can be a real challenge, even with refrigerators on hand. If you have ever pulled out a punnet of blueberries and found that they’ve gone wrinkly, you might have wondered whether they are safe to consume.
Blueberries will gradually shrivel up as they lose moisture to the outside world, and this causes them to wrinkle, because there is no longer enough moisture to keep the skins taut. A small amount of wrinkling may mean the berry is still okay to eat, but on the whole, wrinkly blueberries are not safe anymore.
Have you ever wanted to know whether blueberries go off before they turn moldy, or whether you can still eat them? We’re going to use this article to find out.
Are Wrinkly Blueberries Safe To Eat?
On the whole, wrinkled blueberries are not safe to eat. A very small degree of shrinkage may not mean that the berries have spoiled, but as soon as you’re addressing more major wrinkling, this indicates you need to avoid eating the fruit. Shriveled blueberries should not be consumed, even if they look otherwise okay.
A decaying blueberry shows many different signs of spoilage, including wrinkliness. If you are trying to determine whether the blueberry is safe to eat and it is only slightly wrinkly, you might want to look at other things too, such as:
- Juice leaking out of the berry and into the punnet
- Specks of mold around the stems of the blueberries
- Bruising on the fruit
- A sour or alcoholic smell
- A mushy texture
It is generally better not to eat wrinkled blueberries, but if you can see none of the signs above, you might be able to eat some that are only a little bit wrinkly. However, if you see any of the above indications of decay, you should compost the blueberries and buy some fresh ones.
It is fairly rare for people to get sick from eating moldy blueberries, but it is still possible for this to happen. It is therefore not something that you should risk.
What Makes Blueberries Wrinkly?
Blueberries generally turn wrinkly because they gradually lose moisture as the fruit ages. As moisture evaporates from the fruit, it starts to shrink, because the overall fruit content is reduced. The skin then becomes too big for the fruit and begins to wrinkle up, forming folds all around the outside.
The more this happens, the older the blueberry is and the less chance there is that it is worth eating. If you notice that your blueberries are starting to shrivel, you should make an effort to use them up very quickly so that they don’t get time to go off.
You might want to process the blueberries into a smoothie or use them up in cooking, rather than eating them fresh. They are unlikely to have either a good taste or a good texture if you eat them raw, but processing them might allow you to eat them.
However, you should check thoroughly for mold and other signs of spoilage if you are going to do this. If you see any indication that your blueberries have turned moldy, don’t blend them or cook them.
How Should You Store Blueberries?
Blueberries should be put in the fridge unless you plan to use them up on the same day. They will not keep well at room temperature and tend to go off quickly. Even very fresh blueberries will probably only last for a maximum of 2 or 3 days on the counter or in a cupboard.
Ideally, you should put blueberries in your fridge as soon as you buy them. They will then last for around a week in general, and sometimes for as long as 10 days. They should be kept in a covered container to minimize moisture loss and prevent damage if anything else in the fridge falls. Ideally, the container should have some ventilation holes.
If you don’t ventilate the blueberries at all, there is a high risk that they will start to develop mold quickly, because condensation will build up in the container and make it excessively wet. A small amount of airflow, a clean container, and a cool environment will help to ensure that the blueberries last as long as possible.
You should also remove any single blueberries that go moldy from the container. Occasionally, just one berry will get bruised and go bad, but this mold will quickly spread to others in the punnet if it isn’t dealt with.
Conclusion
Blueberries that have gone wrinkly are often not good to eat. In some cases, you may be safe eating a few slightly wrinkled berries or using them up in cooking, but on the whole, wrinkling indicates that the berry has gone off and it should be composted. Don’t eat any blueberries that have mold on them or blueberries that are mushy or leaking juice.
