Overall, the best method to tell whether a pomegranate has gone wrong is if it smells or tastes awful. A pomegranate’s interior is brown: If the pomegranate begins to brown on the interior, it has gone wrong. The arils may also be mushy, unlike how juicy and plump they are when fully ripe. Toxic chemicals can be found in many regions of the pomegranate.
As a result, consuming pomegranate can lead to poisoning. Pomegranate can also cause intestinal blockage in persons who have been constipated for a long time. Pomegranate seeds that are safe to eat have the potential to block the intestines.
Pomegranate eating in excess can produce a variety of problems in certain people, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Excessive consumption of this fruit, according to anecdotal data, can irritate the gastrointestinal tract.
Pomegranate does not have a suggested dosage. Pomegranate seeds and juice are considered safe to eat as part of a balanced diet, and most healthy adults experience minor adverse effects from consuming pomegranate. It’s ok to use the seeds if the pith is brown around the edges, but they are scarlet.
However, if the seeds are brownish and appear soft and mushy, you must discard them. Mold is arguably the most obvious indicator of a rotten pomegranate. Look for mushy areas on the pomegranates outside. These dots can be brown, but due to the dark color of pomegranates, you may not notice them. The pomegranate has gone rotten if there are soft patches on it.
How to Tell if Pomegranate is Bad?
It’s easy to tell if a pomegranate is rotten, and you’ll typically know immediately if yours is. Nonetheless, here is a list of the most common signs and symptoms of rotten pomegranates:
Weigh
The fruit should feel weighty ([UOF]). It’s dried out if it feels light, and it’s still worth opening it to double-check.
Spots of Darkness
Or softness. Some small ones are acceptable as long as they are not mushy or hollow. If this is the case, cut the fruit open and evaluate the condition. The pomegranate is past its peak if it has large sunken patches.
When it comes to pomegranate seeds and the inside of the fruit, look for the following:
Mold
If there’s any inside, discard the seeds.
Black Spores
When you see those, it’s evident that the fruit isn’t fit for consumption.
Seeds Turned Brown or Black
The pomegranates seeds are usually ruby red, and something horrible has happened if the color changes and they resemble (or something similar). In theory, you could consume the nutritious seeds if only some of them went brown or black. I throw away the whole dish unless there are only a few brown ones, and the rest is fine.
How Long Do Pomegranates Last?
Pomegranates are fruits that last the longest. People frequently compare them to apples in this sense. In the fridge, whole pomegranates can last up to two months. ([UOF]). Of course, if they’ve been sitting in the supermarket’s produce department for a few days without refrigeration, they won’t last that long.
If you leave pomegranates out on the counter instead of putting them in the fridge (as I typically do), they should last a week or two. Try to stay on the lower end of the spectrum to be safe. Pomegranate seeds, last but not least. They should last for about a week once you’ve separated them from the pith and placed them in a container. You can always freeze the periods if they aren’t long enough for your purposes.
What Are the Potential Health Benefits of Pomegranates?
Research suggests the pomegranate in its various forms offers the following benefits:
It helps Protect Against Heart Disease
There’s some evidence that pomegranates may help lower cholesterol, lowering the risk of heart disease.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Vitamin C in the fruit contains anti-inflammatory qualities, which may protect against various ailments, including cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Lower High Blood Pressure
Pomegranates include antioxidants that may help lower high blood pressure, which can help keep the arteries, heart, and brain in good working order.
Help With Erectile Dysfunction(ED)
According to one study, consuming 8 ounces of pomegranate juice every day improved the erections of over half of the study participants.
Protection Against Certain Types Of Cancer
Some small studies suggest drinking pomegranate juice can help slow the spread of prostate cancer cells.
Are Pomegranates a Good Food for Weight Loss?
Increasing your pomegranate intake significantly does not always imply that you will lose weight quickly. There haven’t been many studies suggesting that pomegranates help with weight loss, and the studies suggesting a correlation were either too tiny or insignificant to draw any conclusions from.
On the other hand, Pomegranates are an essential part of a balanced diet and may help with weight loss since they contain fiber, which contributes to feelings of fullness. As a result, you may find yourself eating less and losing weight, and they may be beneficial for weight loss when consumed instead of candy or dessert.
How to Select and Store Pomegranates for the Best Taste?
Choose a pomegranate with a deep red hue that appears to weigh a lot for its size when you’re at the store. Scratch gently any skin that is shiny and devoid of blemishes. It’s probably ripe if it’s soft and simple to scratch. The fruit should be shaped like a squared-off round. The seeds within a pomegranate with this form have attained their juiciest potential.
Keep the pomegranate out of direct sunlight when you bring it home. It’s better to store it somewhere cold and dry. You may also keep it in the fridge for up to two months. Keep the arils or juice in the refrigerator for up to five days after cracking apart the skin and extracting the arils or juice. Alternatively, you can freeze the arils for up to a year if you aren’t ready to eat them immediately.
What is the Best Way to Prepare and Eat a Pomegranate?
The pomegranate is not something you want to eat, and you’ll have to cut through the skin to get the arils out. Put on a pair of gloves and an apron before you start because pomegranates are messy and can easily stain anything you’re wearing. Trim the fruit’s crown end, which is the one that sticks out more than the other.
After that, score the pomegranate’s skin three or four times till it can easily be broken into smaller pieces. Place the fruit pieces in a water bowl and separate the arils from the rind with your hands. The arils will settle to the bowl’s bottom.
When you’ve extracted all of the arils from the fruit, discard the rind, which should be floating at the top of the bowl, and filter the remaining contents until only the arils remain. You can eat the arils whole or puree them in a blender to extract the juices. Strain the juice from the seeds left after a few pulses (don’t blend for too long, or the juice will get murky), and enjoy.
Side Effects of Eating Pomegranates and Potential Health Risks
In all of their forms, Pomegranates are usually considered nutritious and safe. However, some people may experience adverse reactions to pomegranates if consumed, and they’ll likely show typical allergy symptoms like itchy eyes and difficulty breathing.
Pomegranates are typically nutritious and safe to consume in all their forms. However, eating pomegranates may cause adverse responses in certain people, and they’ll likely exhibit common allergy symptoms like itchy eyes and breathing difficulties.
Conclusion
Pomegranate juice promotes digestion by hydrating the gut, softening the stool, and facilitating simple bowel movement and defecation, even though it contains only a tiny fiber. It also contains sorbitol, a natural laxative, and vitamin C, which aids in intestinal digestion. Pomegranate is high in antioxidants, fiber, and anti-inflammatory effects.
This combination of nutrients may aid in the removal of excess body fat and cholesterol. “As a result, pomegranate can not only aid weight loss but also prevent weight gain,” However, you might see anything crimson on a stool. Pomegranate is delicious, but removing the arils might be messy because of its brilliant red color.
A sudden change in the color of your stool can be problematic, but it’s most likely due to one of these foods. Unopened, adequately stored, unrefrigerated pomegranate juice will generally keep its best quality for around 12 to 18 months when stored at room temperature. However, it will usually be okay to drink after that.
