All Quinnoa articles in one place.
A hard, dry lemon is usually dehydrated and lower in quality. If it remains intact and free of mold, rot and off odor, the zest or remaining juice can still be useful.
A very loose rind can be citrus puffiness, common in overmature or stored mandarins. It lowers quality but does not mean rot if the segments remain sound.
A mandarin can dry through water loss or granulation of the juice sacs. If segments remain clean and free of mold or off odor, the problem is usually poor quality.
Pale areas can be color variation, while dry areas may reflect granulation or water loss. Water-soaked, rotten, moldy or off-smelling tissue is a different warning.
A ripe kiwi yields gently but still holds its structure. Water-soaked areas, slime, leakage, mold or an alcoholic smell mean softness is occurring with deterioration.
Dark internal areas can come from bruising, chilling injury or decay. If the tissue is soft, wet, off-smelling, moldy or extensive, discard the orange.
A very soft blueberry has lost structure through ripeness, water loss or bruising. If it is also sticky, leaking, fermented-smelling or moldy, discard it.
Juice at the bottom means some raspberries have broken. A small leak can be a bruise; lots of liquid, collapsed fruit, fermented odor or mold points to deterioration.
Tiny regularly spaced hairs on blackberries can be remnants of flower styles. Mold forms denser irregular colonies and is more likely on soft, wet or damaged fruit.
An orange can dry through water loss or granulation of the juice sacs while its peel still looks normal. Without rot, the problem is usually eating quality.
Grapes detach more easily as their small stems dry and age. It signals declining freshness, but loose berries can still be good if they remain firm, dry and sound.
A mealy or woolly peach can result from internal chilling injury during storage. It is a quality disorder that is different from mold, fermentation, or active rot.