Have you ever brought a watermelon home and then noticed that the rind is unusually yellow? You might be wondering if it’s still okay to consume, or if you should be tossing it in your compost bin.
Excessive yellowness in the rind of your watermelon is a sign that the fruit has a high concentration of nitrates in it. You may not want to eat this. Alternatively, if the whole watermelon is yellow, there’s a chance that you’ve bought a yellow variety of the fruit. This should be perfectly safe to eat, and may even have a better flavor.
In this article, we’re going to check out whether you can safely eat a watermelon if you can see yellow inside it, so you know how to handle these fruits.
Why Is My Watermelon Yellow?
There are two possibilities here. In some cases, the whole watermelon will be bright yellow inside – which means you’ve bought a yellow watermelon. The other possibility is that you’ve bought a watermelon that is high in nitrates, and this could be a cause for concern, so let’s find out how you can tell the difference.
If the flesh is yellow all over and a consistent color throughout the fruit, it’s very likely you have bought a yellow watermelon. If the flesh is mostly red but has splotches of yellow running through it, this is a sign that something has gone wrong.
Is A Watermelon With Yellow Blotches Safe To Eat?
If the flesh of the watermelon is red, but the inside of the rind is very yellow, it’s likely that the fruit has an excessive concentration of nitrates in it.
In this case, the fruit is likely to be dangerous to eat, and could even poison you – so it’s really important to be careful about this. You do not want to risk getting sick from it.
Fortunately, you can test for nitrates fairly easily, using the following steps:
- Cut off a small piece of the flesh.
- Fill a bowl with room-temperature water, and then drop the piece of watermelon into it.
- Wait for 10 minutes to see if the water turns pink. If it does, the watermelon should be thrown away.
Any serious signs of discoloration inside the watermelon’s flesh, or any big holes in the rind or inside the fruit, should indicate that the watermelon is not safe to eat. Do not take the risk, as nitrate poisoning can be serious, although it isn’t particularly common. It can lead to dizziness, stomach pains, mood swings, and worse.
You should be on the lookout for yellow in the rind of any watermelon you buy. If you see it, treat the watermelon with caution. This is not a particularly common problem to run into, but it’s still worth being aware of and avoiding watermelons that aren’t white inside.
Can You Eat A Fully Yellow Watermelon?
If the watermelon is yellow all over the inside, it’s not a result of nitrates – it’s just a different kind of watermelon. Although most of us think of watermelons as bright red with black seeds, there are more than 1,200 types of watermelons, and some of these types have yellow flesh.
It might come as quite a shock to cut into a watermelon and find that it is completely yellow inside, but you’ll be glad to know that this is nothing to worry about. Yellow varieties of watermelon are completely safe to eat and are not a result of excess nitrates in the flesh.
However, it is always a good idea to check that the watermelon is fresh before you consume it. You can do this by inspecting the surface of the watermelon and checking for any signs of mold. If you can see flecks of blue, brown, white, or green, the fruit has gone off.
You can also check by smelling the watermelon and tasting a small piece of it. If it smells fresh and tastes fruity, it should be perfectly safe to eat. However, if it has a sour smell or taste, or if it has turned vinegary, it will need to be composted.
A further test is how heavy the watermelon is when you pick it up. If the watermelon is heavy, it still has plenty of water in it and it’s probably still good to eat. If the watermelon is light, it has almost certainly started to go off. This is a good way to test when you’re in the store.
Conclusion
Watermelons can be yellow inside, but if the flesh is patchy and uneven, there is likely to be something wrong with the fruit. It should be one consistent color throughout. If you’re unsure about the freshness of a fruit, taste it and smell it, and throw it away if you’re unsure about its edibility.
Editor’s note: The content on this website is meant to be informative, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The content of our articles is not intended for use in the diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always best to speak with your doctor or a certified medical professional before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, exercise routine, or trying a new supplement.
