Food-safety guidance on handling, cooking, storage, spoilage signs and when food should be discarded.
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.
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 slightly soft strawberry may simply be ripe or bruised. Water-soaked flesh, slime, leaking juice or a fermented smell are spoilage signs even before fuzzy mold appears.
Blueberries wrinkle as they lose water. If they remain dry, intact, mold-free, non-slimy and normal-smelling, shriveling usually affects quality before safety.
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.
A smooth white or green band near the cap usually reflects uneven ripening. Fuzz, water-soaked tissue, off odor or collapse point instead toward deterioration.
Wrinkling usually starts as grapes lose water. If the berries remain dry, intact, mold-free and normal-smelling, mild shriveling is mainly a quality change.
The pale, even coating on many grapes is natural wax called bloom. Mold is more likely to form irregular fuzzy patches on damaged, soft or wet berries.
Pure maple syrup should be refrigerated after opening because exposure to air can allow mold to grow. Pancake syrup blends may have different directions.