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Dark yellow or translucent edges often come from oxidation, drying, or temperature changes; rancid odor, mold, or unusual stickiness are stronger reasons to discard butter.
Paint-like, cardboard, soapy, or stale-fat odors usually point to oxidative rancidity. Clearly rancid butter should be discarded even when no mold is visible.
Milky brine can contain harmless cheese particles, but slime, viscous liquid, strong sour odor, mold, or a swollen package are reasons to discard fresh mozzarella.
Slices may stick from pressure and softened fat, but a slimy film, sour odor, mold, unexpected liquid, or package swelling are reasons to discard cheese.
Milk should be discarded when sour odor, new curds, ropy or slimy texture, swollen packaging, or known temperature abuse show that freshness or safe storage has been lost.
Cream may separate from fat movement or freezing, but persistent curds, sour odor, ropiness, slime, swollen packaging or temperature abuse indicate it should be discarded.
White material on dates is often crystallized natural sugar. Dry gritty crystals are a quality change; fuzzy growth, dampness, musty or sour odor point toward mold or fermentation.
USDA recognizes visible sugar crystals on raisins as “sugaring.” Dry gritty white crystals differ from fuzzy mold, especially when mold is accompanied by dampness or musty odor.
Fresh figs are naturally soft and juicy, but alcohol, vinegar, fizz, cloudy leakage, watery brown collapse or mold point to souring and decay rather than normal ripeness.
A few localized brown or soft pomegranate arils may be removable if surrounding chambers are sound. Widespread wet browning, blackened arils, mold or musty odor means discard.
Pomegranate heart rot can blacken arils internally while the rind looks only slightly abnormal. Fuzzy growth, black masses, musty odor or extensive wet decay mean discard.
Loose melon seeds can accompany ripeness, but a slimy or ropy seed cavity, cloudy liquid, fermented odor, mold or broad tissue collapse signals spoilage.