After fruit becomes rotten, is it still edible if you just cut away the rotten part? Actually, this practice is not correct. According to measurements, toxins can still be detected in the normal flesh of the fruit, 1 cm away from the rotten part.
Actual tests have shown that as soon as fruit becomes moldy and rotten, various microorganisms, especially various fungi, will continuously accelerate their reproduction in the rotten fruit. In the process of reproduction, they produce a large amount of toxic substances. These toxic substances continuously penetrate and diffuse from the rotten part into the unrotten part through the fruit juice, causing the unrotten part to also contain microbial metabolites. When people consume the fungal toxins from rotten fruit, they may experience dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, and in severe cases, convulsions, coma, and even life-threatening situations. Among the toxic substances, the patulin toxin produced by the Penicillium expansum fungus poses the greatest threat to human health. After ingestion, it can damage the nervous, respiratory, and urinary systems, and has a strong carcinogenic effect. In addition, the nitrates in the fruit can turn into toxic nitrites after it rots.
Therefore, for the sake of your health, when choosing fruit, opt for those with a bright and shiny skin, fresh and tender flesh, and a fragrant aroma. If there are small spots or a small amount of insect damage, use a knife to cut away the rotten or insect-damaged area and the surrounding good fruit for more than 1 cm; if the moldy rot or insect damage area reaches or exceeds 1/3 of the fruit, it should be decisively discarded to prevent future problems.