Watermelons are delicious fruits and a lot of people enjoy them, but they can have a strange texture if you leave them for too long. If your watermelon has turned mushy, you might be questioning whether it is bad, or whether you can still eat it.
In general, a mushy watermelon is simply overripe, but you should check for other signs that the fruit has gone bad. Mushiness is a sign that your watermelon will spoil soon, so you should look for mold spots, darkening flesh, or a bad aroma. Don’t eat a watermelon if you think it has gone off.
In this article, we’ll check out what makes watermelon flesh mushy, and whether it’s safe to eat. We will also cover some of the signs that your watermelon has gone off.
Are Mushy Watermelons Safe To Eat?
As long as the rest of the watermelon looks, smells, and tastes good, mushiness on its own is not a sign that you should avoid eating the fruit. A mushy watermelon is likely to be a bit overripe, but it may not have spoiled.
That said, you should check because mushiness does indicate that the fruit is past its best. Look out for:
- An unpleasant, sour, or alcoholic flavor if you bite into the melon
- A sharp, acidic, or otherwise unusual smell when you cut the melon open
- Spots of mold on the flesh of the watermelon
- Darker areas in the flesh
- Soggy patches on the rind of the watermelon
- Bad bruises that would have let mold or bacteria access the soft flesh inside the fruit
- Dryness or grittiness in the flesh
- Excessive wateriness, beyond the normal juicy texture of a ripe watermelon.
You can also tap the watermelon before you cut into it, and listen to the sound that your tapping makes. If the fruit sounds hollow, it is ripe and ready to eat. If it sounds full, there is a risk that it has gone past its best and is starting to decay. Use this trick to select fresh, ripe watermelons in the store.
A further test involves scratching the skin of the watermelon to see if it is still firm. If the skin will tear or mark under your nail with only a small amount of pressure, this suggests that the watermelon has started to go off. Inspect it carefully for the other signs of decay, and don’t eat it if you see them.
As long as your watermelon still tastes and smells good, and the rind is firm, it should be okay to eat even if the flesh is mushy. A lot of people dislike the mushy texture, however, so you may wish to use the watermelon in a smoothie or another kind of sweet drink. This will disguise the mushiness and make it more enjoyable.
Why Does Watermelon Flesh Turn Mushy?
Watermelon flesh is soft anyway, due to the high water content, but when it is kept for too long, it will start to turn mushy. This is because the cells inside the flesh will gradually start to break down when the watermelon is stored for too long.
As they break down, they lose their structure and start to release their stored liquids into the fruit. This will cause the mushy, wetter texture, because there is so much more free liquid. Many fruits get mushier as they turn overripe, but it may be particularly noticeable in watermelons because they are already quite wet.
You can slow down the rate at which the fruit turns mushy by storing your watermelon with care. That means keeping it away from fruits like apples and oranges, which produce ethylene gas (a gas that prompts ripening), and ideally keeping it cool. If you place a watermelon in the fridge, it should last for around 10 days before it starts to turn mushy.
Once you have cut the watermelon open, you will need to use it up more quickly. Store the pieces of watermelon in an airtight container in the fridge, and aim to eat them within a few days. Inspect them for signs of mold and spoilage when you get them out of the fridge, so you know they are safe to eat.
Can Watermelons Bruise?
On the whole, these fruits don’t bruise, but it can happen occasionally. If just one spot is mushy and the rest of the fruit’s flesh is firm, there is a high chance that it got bruised during transit, and the damage has caused the cells to collapse.
Conclusion
Mushy watermelons are generally safe to eat, but you do need to check them for further signs of decay. If you find mold spots or if the watermelon has a sour, unpleasant flavor, there is a high chance that the fruit has gone off.
