How to Tell If a Papaya Is Bad
No tropical fruit tray or tropical drink is complete without fresh papaya. Papaya adds variety to fruit trays and is also ideal to use in salsas. Like all fruits, precaution must be taken when looking for a good papaya. Good papaya has a sweet scent when opened, as well as a sweet taste. Bad papaya smells fermented, feels mushy and has a less than desirable rotten taste. Knowing the signs of a bad papaya saves you the hassle of dealing with less than desirable fruit. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Check the outside. The outside of a papaya tells you a lot about what is on the inside. Green papayas are not ripe and must be stored properly to allow further ripening. Yellow papayas are ready for eating. Papayas that feature deep orange areas on the outside are over ripe and going bad.
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Good papayas are slightly firm to the touch. Bad papayas feel soft, look shriveled and do not have a healthy green or yellow color. Bruising on the outside of the papaya is a clear indicator that the meat of the fruit is not going to taste well. Softness at the stem of the fruit also indicates that the inside is bruised or rotten.
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Smell the fruit. Uncut papayas do not have a scent. Before eating a papaya, cut it open and inhale. The inside of a good papaya smells sweet and musky. A bad papaya smells rotted or fermented.
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Tips & Warnings
The sweetest part of the papaya is the part that is furthest from the stem.
Papaya fruit contains seeds. Papaya seeds contain carpaine, which if consumed enough can cause a lower pulse rate and nervous system depression.
References
Resources
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