When fruit starts to rot, many people feel it's a waste and will often cut away the spoiled part and eat the rest. However, they don't realize that even after removing the rotten portion, the harmful toxins produced by decay cannot be completely eliminated. So today, let's talk about the health hazards of spoiled fruit to human health.
Eating spoiled food is dangerous to your health.
Actual tests have proven that as soon as fruit begins to mold and rot, various microorganisms, especially fungi, will continuously multiply within it. During this process, they produce a large amount of toxic substances. These toxins then continuously seep and spread from the rotten parts into the unspoiled parts of the fruit through the fruit juice, causing the unspoiled parts to also contain microbial metabolites. When people consume the mycotoxins from rotten fruit, they may experience dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, and in severe cases, convulsions, coma, and even a threat to life. Among the toxic substances, the patulin toxin produced by *Penicillium expansum* poses the greatest threat to human health. After ingestion, it can damage the nervous, respiratory, and urinary systems, and also has a strong carcinogenic effect. Furthermore, the nitrates in the fruit can turn into toxic nitrites after it rots.
It's especially important to note that removing the moldy part and eating the rest may not be safe, because the patulin produced by the mold can spread to other parts of the fruit. A survey by the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine found that in moldy apples, the patulin content in the visually normal parts was 10-50% of that in the moldy parts. The patulin content in the normal parts of the apple could be as high as 3 milligrams per kilogram. Therefore, it's safer to just throw away any fruit that has started to mold.
Therefore, for the sake of your health, choose fruit with bright skin color, fresh flesh, a pleasant aroma, and that is fresh. If there are small spots or a small amount of insect damage, use a knife to cut out the rotten or insect-damaged area and the surrounding good fruit for more than 1 centimeter. If the moldy, rotten, or insect-damaged area reaches or exceeds one-third of the fruit, it should be decisively discarded to prevent future problems.
In damaged fruit, many nutrients have leaked out due to cell damage. Therefore, even if it hasn't yet been invaded by bacteria, it has no nutritional value left, and there is no need to eat it.
Don't buy too much high-sugar, high-water-content fruit at once.
Generally, foods high in sugar and water are most prone to mold. As soon as mold appears, you can see the colony in about 2-3 days, and after a week, the bacterial spores start to spread. This is why many people wonder why, when fruits are stored together, as soon as one goes bad, the others are quickly affected. The reason is right here.
Therefore, it's a good reminder to eat the fruit you buy as soon as possible and not leave it out for too long. If you have a small family, don't buy a large box just because it's cheap, as it will easily spoil before you can finish it. It's recommended to follow the principle of buying small quantities and a variety of fruits to intake a wider range of nutrients. For example, buying 3-4 bananas plus 3 apples or guavas at once is quite appropriate, as it can supply the family's needs for one to two days.
Mechanical damage does not affect health.
Mechanical damage is the most common type. The softened parts are simply due to impact, where cells have broken and their contents have leaked out. At the same time, due to cell damage, some colorless polyphenols are converted into dark-colored quinones, which gives the wound a distinctive color. Fruit that is merely bruised is only unpleasant to the senses. As long as it is eaten within a short time after the collision, this "bad fruit" will not affect our health.