When you eat an orange, have you ever encountered a situation where, although the orange shows no obvious signs of spoilage on the outside, it tastes a bit off, or even bitter? Can you still eat such an orange?
Citrus fruits contain various glycosides and neohesperidin, which are the main bitter substances in them. These bitter substances are more abundant in unripe fruits. However, in mature oranges, due to the action of various enzymes, the glycosides gradually convert, and the bitter taste也随之消失. Eating a large number of unripe oranges can have certain adverse effects on the body. Furthermore, when oranges are stored at low temperatures, the protoplasm dehydrates due to freezing, causing the proteins and colloids to undergo an irreversible coagulation process. This also reduces their resistance to microorganisms. At this point, microorganisms take advantage of the opportunity to invade, especially spoilage bacteria like molds, which can easily penetrate the fruit and grow, intensifying the bitterness. These frozen and bitter oranges not only have their nutritional value greatly reduced but also carry a large number of microorganisms. Therefore, bitter oranges should not be eaten.
It is important to note that if part of an orange has become moldy, you should not continue to eat the remaining part. This is because the patulin produced by mold can spread to other parts of the fruit, posing a threat to your health.