How to Determine Whether an Avocado Is Rotten – When Does Brown Avocado Indicate Bad Avocado?

As wonderful as avocados are, it should be noted that determining whether they are rotten is not always straightforward. I describe how avocados may appear and smell when they are OK to eat but, perhaps more crucially, when they are becoming bad to help you identify whether your avocado is merely from an immature tree, overripe, or ready for discarding.

How to Tell If an Avocado Is Ripe

Avocados, unlike some other fresh vegetables, do not begin to ripen until they are taken off the tree. After gathered, they begin to ripen fast, which is why they should be refrigerated to delay ripening at home.

When inspecting the maturity of an avocado in the shop, at the farmers market, or even at home, gently press the avocado with your palm rather than your fingers, since finger squeezing is more likely to cause damage to the fruit.

If the avocado does not yield in your hand at all, it is underripe; if it gives somewhat, it is ready to eat. If a little imprint remains after the squeeze, the fruit is overripe and should be reserved for mashing rather than slicing.

Several avocado cultivars change color as they mature. Hass avocados ripen from brilliant green to dark green or even brown when they are underripe. A Hass avocado with almost black skin is usually overripe, and a fully black avocado may be rotten. Some avocado kinds, such as Fuerte or Zutano, may remain brilliant green throughout ripening, therefore skin color cannot be used to determine ripeness.

When purchasing any variety of avocado, avoid those with cracks or mold on the outside, since the mold may have broken through the skin and reached the flesh of the fruit.

When cutting into a ripe avocado, the flesh should be bright green, with slight browning or bruising.

What Does A Bad Avocado Look Like?

As an avocado begins to overripen, it begins to feel soft, similar to an overripe tomato, and the skin begins to seem dented or mushy.

When you cut into an overripe avocado, the flesh will be deeper in color and may have bruising. Bruising refers to dark patches or blotches that might form in the flesh, and a bruised avocado is not necessarily undesirable.

Avocados picked from younger trees may sometimes have black streaks in the flesh, although the avocados themselves are ripe and safe to consume. Just trim away any stains or bruises before eating.

Similarly, depending on how it was developed, an avocado may be fibrous, and avocados from young trees are generally stringy until the tree grows (which may be as long as seven years). They may even be stringy as a result of improper storage after harvesting.

One of the key things to look for in damaged avocados is a lot of brown spots or patches within the avocado or even black flecks inside the avocado. There are indicators of mold, which may cause the avocado to appear white.

It is just as essential to smell an avocado as it is to look at it to determine whether it is rotten. But, if you have seen white or gray mold on or in the avocado, don’t bother smelling it, simply throw it away since the mold may have infiltrated throughout the fruit. When an avocado ripens, its scent changes from sweet and nutty to unpleasant, sour, or even rotten. Any avocado that smells off should be discarded.

After you’ve taken a close look at your avocado and are pleased with its sight and scent, just taste it. If it tastes good, go ahead and eat it; if in doubt, toss it away!

Why Brown Avocado Does Not Always Mean Bad

As I shown in the last section, avocados may have dark bruises or even brown streaks, and if there are no other indicators of deterioration, these avocados are often safe to consume.

As you cut into an avocado, it will quickly turn brown, exactly like when you chop into an apple. This is because oxidation happens when the flesh of the fruit is exposed to air. Polyphenols in the fruit react with oxygen in the air and enzymes called polyphenol oxidase, causing the brown color to appear. While browning is unappealing, it actually helps the avocado last longer because the browning products are poisonous to the bacteria that would otherwise cause the fruit to rot.

Therefore you may eat dark avocado even a few days after cutting it. The brown section may taste somewhat bitter and seem less appealing, but it is still safe to consume. To hide the dark meat, mash it all together rather than slice it. Browning avocado might also be used in smoothies or salad dressings.

Early oxidation of avocado and other fruits is innocuous, but as time passes, the oxidation progresses until it affects the flesh of the fruit, altering its texture and taste.

After slicing one avocado, cover the exposed flesh with lemon juice and store it in an airtight container, such as an avocado saver, in the refrigerator.

Can You Eat an Overripe Avocado?

Since avocado ripens from the stem end downwards, even if it is overripe at the stem end, the fruit may still be edible farther down. If there is no mold and it smells and tastes OK, just cut away the discolored pieces and use the rest.