For some time now, it has become common, when buying fruit, to find yourself with the option of buying only half a watermelon or half a melon covered in paper. movie instead of the whole piece. A very advantageous and appreciated option if we are few at home or if we live alone and a whole melon is quite a challenge when it comes to consuming it completely and, therefore, we risk ending up throwing away part of it.
You can even find the fruits peeled and cut into pieces, ready to eat. Although we can find this type of product easy and practical, especially because it saves us precious time, we must pay attention to certain particularities.
The Half-Fruit Problem: A Bigger Health Risk
The problem with buying half a watermelon is not so much the nutritional content, which remains virtually intact, but the fact that it increases the microbiological risk. What does this mean?
As the Spanish Food Safety Agency (AESAN) points out in a report based on scientific data and predictive models, already cut fruits such as melon, watermelon or papaya and stored at room temperature can pose a health risk since the physicochemical conditions are compatible with the growth of foodborne pathogens such as: Salmonella spp.., Escherichia coli either Listeria monocytogenes. Even if they have paper movie, Exposed, unrefrigerated pulp supports the growth of these pathogens.
In 2014, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) already confirmed that the bacteria Salmonella It can grow rapidly in cut melons stored at room temperature, without any apparent deterioration in its appearance.
In the case of pineapple, and due to its lower pH, the growth of this pathogen is less tolerated and, therefore, the risk is lower. And not all fruits are the same: the more acidic they are, the lower the risk of deterioration and contamination.
Why does this risk increase? It should be borne in mind that, even if we do not plan to eat the skin of the fruit, it is necessary to wash it because the bacteria that grow on the outside can move inside when we cut them with the knife. We are talking about minimally processed products that rely on their natural barriers such as peels and rinds to protect themselves from bacteria. This would explain why pathogens can be transferred to the pulp when cutting.
This is why it is so important that proper disinfection is carried out before cutting, to prevent bacteria from moving from the outside to the inside.
To this problem we must add another particular aspect, namely that the useful life of the fruit is reduced since we can only keep it at room temperature for a certain time. maximum three hours; Beyond this period, the fruit is exposed to “a significant microbiological risk”, warns AESAN in the report. The answer to this limitation of the shelf life lies above all in the chemical reactions of the sugars in contact with air, which in a cut fruit are much faster.
When sugars break down in response to oxygen, they release carbon dioxide, which damages the pulp and speeds up the process that causes the fruit to rot. In a cut piece, this happens much sooner than in the whole piece.
Although it is also true that, within this period, experts assure that there is no significant risk of development of pathogens, provided that it is accompanied by immediate refrigeration and the fruit is consumed within a short period of time.
In conclusion, the report admits that at temperatures above 25ºC for a period of three hours in a ventilated place protected from the sun, followed by storage in the refrigerator, the risk is controlled. It is therefore possible to keep large fruits such as watermelon, papaya, melon or pineapple cut in half or in quarters at room temperature (20ºC-25ºC) for up to three hours after cutting them. After this time, they must be refrigerated. Failure to comply with any of these parameters may affect the safety of the product.
How to avoid problems when buying fruit in halves
When buying halved fruit, it is important to consider several aspects. One of them is to make sure you buy it in a store where it is labeled with the date and time it was cut or chopped. If it is at room temperature and they only inform us of the price on the label but not how to store it, it is better not to buy it.
Another aspect to pay attention to is the degree of ripeness and its appearance. We will not bring home a piece that is too ripe or has cuts or marks on the surface. It is also not advisable to delay too much time between buying it and putting it in the refrigerator at home, where we will keep it until the moment of consumption.
In case, despite everything, we do not finish all the fruits, we will wrap them again with paper. movie or we will put it in a closed container to keep it again in the refrigerator. Although it is preferable not to extend the time too much before finishing it completely. Let us remember that our main enemies in the conservation of cut fruit are high temperatures and oxygen, which activate enzymes that cause the oxidation of the fruit and the development of microorganisms.
Another basic and fundamental measure is that when we cut fruit at home, we wash our hands well and make sure that the cutting boards and knives are also very clean. This will help us prevent cross-contamination.
