Watermelons are refreshing, juicy fruit that contains very little fat. Although they are sweet and delicious, watermelons may not always be safe to eat. If you want to know how long does watermelon lasts, read this article.
Watermelon can go bad, and it does so quickly if left off the vine and at room temperature, in which case its shelf life is roughly seven days. A bad watermelon is often obvious because of its discoloration and foul smell. Watermelon can be either frozen or pickled in order to preserve it.
The average watermelon stays fresh for two weeks when left uncut at room temperature. Still, its time can be extended if it is refrigerated or frozen for future use in smoothies or other recipes.
Knowing the signs of whether your watermelon is bad or spoiled will help keep you from becoming sick and prevent wasting money on a damaged product.
Do watermelons go bad?
Watermelon will only last for a few days at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator to keep for up to one week. If it has been cut, wrap it tightly with plastic and place it in the refrigerator. It is best to store watermelon away from other fruits, which tend to emit ethylene gas as they ripen and cause other produce to spoil faster.
According to USDA guidelines, watermelon should be stored at temperatures between 32-34° F (0-1° C) if kept whole or slices wrapped tightly delivered commercially or homemade sliced watermelon can remain in this range until opened, after which it must be refrigerated and consumed within two days.
If you buy watermelons that have already been cut into pieces, it is not a good idea to keep them for more than five days in the refrigerator. Make sure to wrap the cut pieces tightly with plastic cling wrap and use them within two days.
How do I know if my watermelon is bad?
Watermelons are delicious fruits that offer lots of benefits to your mind and body, but they can also go bad quickly.
There are many ways to tell your watermelon has gone bad, too ensure you consume watermelon at its peak quality, avoid eating if you find any of the following:
Black or brown spots on the rind. Look for gray patches in the skin of the watermelon. If there are any present on the exterior portion of the fruit, this means that there are spots where mold has and grown, which means that the interior of the fruit has spoiled.
Spongy and discolored flesh inside.
If you see any openings on watermelon, this is also a sign that the fruit inside is bad as well and should not be consumed in order to prevent foodborne illnesses due to bacteria or other pathogens present within it.
Smell the watermelon. If it smells like ammonia or vomit, then you need to discard it immediately as these smells indicate that the fruit has gone bad and may have harmful bacteria on its surface, which can cause a number of illnesses when consumed by humans.
Blood vessels running through a watermelon’s flesh become more visible as it ripens. Left exposed too long after cutting, the fruit may become slimy or develop dark dried patches, which indicate decay.
How long will a watermelon last uncut?
Watermelons can keep for up to three weeks when stored at room temperature, but if kept in the fridge, they can last for up to 3 months. This long shelf life is possible because fruits are able to maintain their state of ripeness even when placed in cold storage.
If the watermelon has been cut into cubes and placed within an airtight container or zip-lock baggie, the storage time is much shorter as half of a cut watermelon only lasts up to five days in the refrigerator. This happens because once this fruit is sliced open, it releases ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening and decomposition of surrounding fruit.
Typically, a whole watermelon can stay fresh for up to three weeks if stored at normal room temperature.
However, a fully ripe melon should not be left out at room temperature for more than two days, so it does not lose its taste and flavor too quickly.
When should you not eat watermelon?
Watermelon will quickly go bad and rot. If you have a watermelon that has been sitting around for a long, it might be too late to save it from rotting. In this case, do not eat the watermelon because it is likely unsafe to eat.
If the watermelon is soft to the touch, then it has been ripe for too long and should not be eaten as it will be mushy and gross.
If there are any dents in the skin or if it feels hollow when knocked, this means that it was picked before its time and went bad very quickly after you bought it from the store. In this condition, do not eat your watermelon as bacteria can grow more easily in fruit like this.
Do not eat watermelon with large spots of mold on them or any signs of mold at all, really, as that reduces their shelf life even further. They should have been thrown out immediately because they’re growing bacteria which could make you ill.
How long do store-bought watermelons last?
Watermelons vary in size, weight, and nutritional composition depending on where they are harvested from, but their average shelf life is 7-10 days when stored at room temperature and longer when stored in cold storage.
Watermelon’s long shelf life is possible because fruits are able to maintain their state of ripeness even when placed in cold storage. In the case of watermelon, it is important not to store your fruit near apples as the ethylene gas given off by these fruits speeds up the ripening process of other fruits such as watermelon.
It is suggested that freshly cut store-bought melon cubes stay fresh for up to five days if sealed tightly within a refrigerator or possibly even longer, depending on how fast the remaining fruit goes bad.
Things that make watermelon go bad
There are many ways a watermelon can spoil, no matter how it is stored or for what amount of time it is left out at room temperature: by the fruit’s flesh turning brown, molds growing on rinds and insides, decay of the fruit’s interior and increased pressure when pressed.
Things that might make a watermelon go bad include:
1. Stored at room temperature for a few days
Watermelon should be refrigerated to slow decomposition and extend shelf life, but it’s best if it is served within a day or two after purchasing. If watermelon sits at room temperature for more than a couple of days, the flesh begins to dehydrate and can become unpalatable.
2. Leaves on the watermelons
Leaves that are attached to the melon when you bought it will lower the edible lifespan because they provide cover to bugs and bacteria from other products, which may have dirtied them during transport or storage, so make sure you wash these leaves before consumption.
3. Exposure to heat in transit or storage
Watermelons transported and stored under improper temperatures may cause the flesh to decline in quality.
4. Cutting a watermelon
Always cut a watermelon just before serving it or eating it because watermelons are highly perishable, and if not consumed immediately, decomposition is likely to occur even if the fruit has been refrigerated. Plus, cutting into a ripe melon releases ethylene which increases the speed of ripening.
5. Gaseous emissions from impact with another fruit
Fruits that are stored together release gases that cause spoilage in nearby foods; therefore, it’s best to wash and store all fruits separately.
Ways to prevent watermelon from going bad
If you want your watermelon to last longer, there are several easy methods to help extend its shelf life as much as possible:
- Keep it fresh by cooling and refrigerating uneaten portions quickly after cutting open the melon.
- Take care not to expose the cut melon to air because this will cause it to rot quickly.
- Ensure not to store cut-up watermelon near any type of meat or other protein because this can cause contamination.
- Always wash your hands and the cutting board before touching another food with them, especially high-risk products like meat.
- Place an apple in with your uncut melon. The ethylene that the apple produces will help to keep your melon from rotting too quickly.
- Store your watermelon on a bed of ice. This way, you can extend the shelf life of your fruit by up to three days, depending on how cold you keep your home and refrigerator. Just make sure that once the ice has melted, you replace it with new ice to avoid unwanted bacteria or mold forming.
- Keep it in a dark place so as not to be exposed to sunlight which degrades its nutritional value.
- Wrap it in aluminum foil or store it in a cloth bag before placing it inside the fridge as this prevents exposure from open-air, which causes oxygenation, thus speeding up the rotting process [and also helps keeps the fruit from sticking to the shelf].
- Keep it in a box with baking soda. The carbon dioxide given off by baking soda will help inhibit bacterial growth and prevent the watermelon from rotting too quickly [it also helps reduce its overall odor, which can be quite potent].
Conclusion
Taking proper care when handling watermelon while in the kitchen may be easy, but it will result in fresh fruit that will last much longer than expected.
Now that you know or not your watermelon goes bad, you will be more careful and attentive when buying watermelon in the market. This knowledge will protect you from some health problems that can occur because of bad watermelons.
