Why is my fruit rotting while it's unripe?

September 21, 2004 4:03 AM

Why is my fruit rotting while it's unripe?
This just started happening this year when I moved to Arizona. Softer fruits (peaches, mangoes, tomatoes and the like) are turning moldy/rotten in a matter of 2-3 days. If I eat the side that isn't rotten, it's still hard and unripe. Do I have some strain of super bacteria infesting my domicile?
posted by TungstenChef to food & drink (6 comments total)

Do you keep bananas with the fruit you mention?

There is evidence that storing bananas with other fruit will cause the other fruit to ripen earlier (scroll down to storage)...maybe this is your problem?
posted by mattr at 6:43 AM on September 21, 2004

And on a side note, keeping apples with other fruit will cause the other fruit to ripen faster, especially if it's in a sealed or semi-sealed container.
posted by bshort at 7:17 AM on September 21, 2004

Unfortunately that's not it. I know all about ethylene ripening, and the damned part of it is that they aren't ripe when they rot. Also, this happens regardless of if I have bananas or apples near, and they fruit are stored in an open wooden bowl.
posted by TungstenChef at 7:27 AM on September 21, 2004

For what it's worth, mangos, peaches, and tomatoes also produce ethylene gas.

Out of curiousity, have you tried storing a piece of fruit in the fridge? Does it go bad as quickly?
posted by bachelor#3 at 7:34 AM on September 21, 2004

Are you buying all your fruit from the same place?

My guess is that it's due to the fruit being treated or stored improperly during the shipping process. This happens to me sometimes when I buy fruit at the discount grocery store near me rather than from the farmer's market. Is it possible you could try buying your fruit from a place where it's more likely to be fresher and less treated?
posted by hazyjane at 7:35 AM on September 21, 2004

This is usually caused by the food being over-refrigerated or even frozen. The cells of the fruit have exploded, usually from ice crystals forming in them. This leaves them vulnerable to rot.
posted by Mo Nickels at 9:11 AM on September 21, 2004