Why Spotted Fruits and Vegetables Are Perfectly Safe to Eat
Dark spots on fruits and vegetables can make them unappetizing and spoiled, but they are actually just as edible as they are without the spots. That’s why.
In this video from TED-Ed YouTube, plant biologist Elizabeth Brower explains what these weird stains are on fruits and vegetables. It turns out that these flaws are mostly cosmetic, but many people think that this means that the products are starting to deteriorate. In fact, microbes or fungi that attack the plant are the cause, but they are almost never harmful to you. Why? Because they have evolved over millions of years to undermine the immune system of plants , not yours. Their attack strategies will not work on the immune system of a healthy person. However, Brower notes that these dark or soft spots won’t taste good. However, the rest of the fruit or vegetables will taste good, so you can trim them off and collect the rest easily. Hazardous substances such as E. coli remain on the surface of the food and not on the skin. Therefore, it is important to wash the food and not avoid stains.
According to Brower, US retailers and shoppers spent $ 30 billion in fruits and vegetables in 2010, largely due to alleged spoilage. So the next time you’re at the grocery store or farmers market, keep that in mind as you go through their offers. If you spot some fruits and vegetables that don’t look perfect, it doesn’t hurt to ask if you can buy them at a significant discount. Most likely, they will throw them away anyway.
Are stained fruits and vegetables safe? | Youtube