This guide will provide you with some insights on how to tell if a blood orange is bad and is still fresh and delicious, or if they have seen better days.
Blood oranges are a popular and delicious citrus fruit that are beloved by many for their juicy, sweet, and slightly tangy flavor. With their deep red flesh and unique coloration, they are not only tasty, but also visually stunning.
However, like any fruit, blood oranges can go bad over time, and it can be difficult to tell when they are no longer safe to eat. In this blog post, we’ll explore some telltale signs of bad blood oranges, so you can avoid any unpleasant surprises and enjoy these delicious fruits at their peak.
So, let’s get started!
How To Tell If A Blood Orange Is Bad?
It’s simple to tell if blood oranges are still fresh. The texture and color changes will let you know.
Mold, discoloration, wrinkled skin, or rotting fruit are all indicators that the fruit is no longer edible.
Look
Here are some methods to assist you in identifying bad blood oranges by observing them:
- Once you detect any discoloration (usually dark) or mushy spots on the oranges, they are about to decay.
- Then, check the rind for withering away – another sign of rotting blood oranges.
- If the color of the peel has faded, or if it has blemishes and dents, it isn’t likely to be fresh.
- Search for moldy spots that are white or blue. You may cut the blood orange and examine it inside in case there are no mold symptoms outside.
- Once a blood orange is sliced, it turns a deeper crimson hue than before. When evaluating ripeness and rottenness, glance around the seeds and examine for any slime.
If any of these indicators appear, your blood orange is no longer safe for human consumption.
Smell
- You may smell them outside orange peel first; if they stink, the inside won’t be much better, so throw them out.
- Some fruits may have a rotten or unpleasant odor, and they are exactly the bad blood oranges. The citrus fruits will emit a foul odor or a bad smell when peeled or sliced rather than releasing the oils stored inside the peel, especially a herbal perfume with undertones of raspberry-like tastes.
It’s past its expiration date when your blood orange no longer smells like fresh citrus fruit. You can notice a sour smell, similar to mold or rotten food. That implies it is no longer edible.
Touch
It is weighty and hard when you pick up a fresh blood orange. If they feel a little heavy orange and have a nice edible orange peel than they appear, you’ve selected an excellent one to eat.
- When you start with a slight squeeze, the outside will feel dry and hard without giving in.
- You can continue to squeeze with more force. If an orange is rotten, it will have soft and mushy zones. In case oranges are allowed to degrade for an extended time, they may begin to exude odorous juices. White/blue mold will start to develop on these oranges as well.
Taste
Should you truly can’t tell whether your blood orange has passed the several tests indicated above, you can try these next tips:
- You can taste it with the tip of your tongue, and if it tastes sour or bitter and fermented, toss it out and find a blood orange substitute.
- You may also take a bite to get a sense of their entire citrus flavor and be sure to assess the texture. It may not appear slimy, but it can taste and feel slimy.
This guideline is an excellent technique to identify whether blood oranges have gone rotten.
And, if you have a closer consideration, you will discover these below signs to identify a bad blood orange are the same as the symptoms of the same question: how to tell if an orange is bad?
Thus, you can utilize our above methods to determine whether your oranges are good.
How Long Do Oranges Last?
Like most other fresh fruits and vegetables, blood oranges have a limited shelf life.
Oranges usually last around two weeks at room temperature.
If you store the oranges in the fridge, you may be free to enjoy them for up to four weeks.
How To Store Blood Orange?
In The Refrigerator
Refrigeration is the greatest method for keeping any fruit.
The cold air in the refrigerator will keep the blood oranges fresh as long as you follow along with the steps below.
1. Ensure that the bundle contains no rotten oranges
2. Thoroughly clean them.
3. Keep them in a basket of fruit or put them all in the large fridge bin
In The Freezer
1. Remove as much white skin as possible from oranges by peeling them.
2. Slice each blood orange.
3. Fill resealable freezer bags halfway with orange quarters, remove air, and seal.
4. Freeze the bags.
5. When ready to use, take preferred orange segments out of the freezer and defrost at room temp for 20–30 minutes.
6. Cut each quarter into separate portions and use as required.
Blood oranges may be frozen in cube form and saved for later use. You may also use ice cube trays to freeze the juice.
At Room Temperature
Because blood oranges have similar thick skins, they may be stored at room temperature. If you leave it for more than one week, your fruit will rot.
FAQs
Know that you know how to tell if a blood orange is bad, you may like to learn a bit more about blood oranges too!
What Does The Inside Of A Blood Orange Look Like?
The inside of a blood orange has a lovely dark pink, maroon, or even dark blood-red color. Its beautiful crimson hue derives from a component called anthocyanin, according to EurekAlert.
When Is Blood Orange In Season?
Blood oranges are in season December through April.
