Reasons why watermelon is bitter and is it possible to eat such a fruit?

On a hot summer day, the juicy pulp of watermelon is pleasantly refreshing. Both adults and children love this berry. But it happens that a beautiful, good-looking fruit turns out to be completely tasteless or even bitter. Why is watermelon bitter and is it dangerous to eat? Let’s find out in this article.

Causes of bitterness in watermelon

The bitter pulp of a watermelon is not only disappointment and a spoiled mood. This product can cause serious health problems. The main reasons for spoiled taste are improper application of fertilizers, violation of storage and transportation rules.

Chemicals

Most of all the taste striped berry suffer from treatment with harmful substances during cultivation - saltpeter, nitrates, pesticides. Unscrupulous farmers use chemical additives to accelerate the ripening of fruits, improve their appearance and resistance to transportation. Lovers of melons know that in August-September they are safer and tastier. During this period, the likelihood of encountering a nitrate specimen decreases.

To detect the presence of chemicals, you need to inspect the watermelon. Spots on the peel are signs of injection and should alert you. Voids and purple veins in the pulp of the fruit indicate nitrate damage, white or yellow veins in the cut of the berry indicate nitrate poisoning.

Attention! You can check for the presence of nitrates without a special device. Mash a piece of pulp in a glass of water.If the liquid turns pink, it means the fruit has been treated with chemicals.

Errors during cultivation

The taste and quality of fruits is seriously affected by cultivation technology. If there are insufficient numbers of pollinating insects, incomplete fertilization of flowers occurs. The fruits begin to rot.

The aromatic and tasty pulp of the berry can only please you if agricultural practices are followed. The defeat of watermelons by powdery mildew and various types of rot causes great damage to the crop. To avoid problems, when growing this plant it is necessary to take into account the temperature regime, choose fertile soils, and carry out timely watering.

Varietal features

Bitterness may also be due to a special type of watermelon. An example of this is colocynth. It is called bitter cucumber, bitter apple. This perennial, climbing plant belongs to the Pumpkin family, and is similar in appearance to sweet varieties of watermelon. Grows mainly in Arabia, North Africa and India.

Important! Colocynth fruits should not be eaten as they contain glycosides and can cause severe diarrhea.

Storage errors

Failure to comply with storage rules also negatively affects the taste properties of watermelon. Watermelon can last 3-4 months at a temperature of +2...+8°C in an unlit room. If the necessary conditions during storage and delivery are not maintained, bacteria begin to enter the fruit through microcracks in the rind. In a humid and warm environment, they actively multiply, which leads to spoilage of the berries and provokes a bitter, sour taste.

Watermelon loses its original qualities and begins to taste bitter even if stored for too long.

Cutting a watermelon before selling

You cannot buy cut watermelons, because...the cut site becomes an object for the accumulation of harmful microorganisms. The pulp of the fruit is an excellent environment for their reproduction and nutrition. When buying half a berry, you may find that its taste is much worse, and the core is very bitter.

Attention! Rospotrebnadzor prohibits the sale of cut watermelons. Eating such fruits often leads to poisoning.

Is it possible to eat bitter watermelon?

Regardless of the reason why the berry turned out to be bitter, it is better to refrain from eating it. If the cause of bitterness is chemicals, it is quite possible that the nitrate content exceeds the permissible values, which means The pulp contains a substance toxic to humans - cucurbitacin.

If the growing and storage conditions were violated, the purchased specimen will be spoiled inside. You should not risk your health and eat fruits that raise doubts.

How to choose a watermelon without bitterness

Choose Knowing some rules will help you get sweet, ripe berries:

• You should not purchase melons before August;
• naturally ripened watermelons weigh 5-7 kg;
• a good specimen has a slightly elongated or spherical shape;
• the peel of the fruit should be smooth, glossy, without visible damage;
• if you run your fingernail over the peel, it begins to exude a pleasant, fresh aroma;
• the pattern on the bark in the form of stripes should be clear;
• when tapped on the surface, a ripe berry makes a ringing sound, and when squeezed with the palms it crunches a little;
• a small yellow or orange spot on the side of the fruit indicates its natural ripening;
• the stalk should be dry.

You should not make a purchase near highways. Watermelons absorb exhaust gases and quickly spoil in the sun.

Why there is bitterness in the mouth after watermelon

Watermelons are very beneficial for the body. They contain many vitamins and minerals, improve digestion, and remove toxins. Juicy pulp is low in calories. But if a copy of poor quality lands on the table, the consequences may not be the most unpleasant.

The first signs of poisoning appear after 1-5 hours and are accompanied by intestinal discomfort, nausea and dizziness. This suggests that the pulp got into the body amount of nitrates and pathogenic microorganisms, which it is not able to neutralize on its own.

A bitter taste in the mouth after eating watermelon is a dangerous symptom. Unpleasant sensations after eating may be a sign of liver damage. Watermelon increases the secretion of bile, and it does not have time to be eliminated from the body. Uneasy feelings cannot be left unattended; urgent measures must be taken.

To find out the cause of bile stagnation and begin treatment, you should consult a therapist for a comprehensive examination, which includes palpation of the liver area, biochemical blood test, liver tests, urinalysis, and ultrasound of the abdominal organs.

It is worth noting the choleretic effect of the striped berry, which can cause a bitter aftertaste if a person has pancreatic diseases.

This is interesting:

Buying harmless vegetables: how to test potatoes for nitrates.

How to plant and grow watermelon correctly.

When do watermelons ripen and how to determine their degree of ripeness.

Conclusion

When purchasing watermelon, it is important to remember that only a high-quality product grown in compliance with all technologies brings benefits to the body.Therefore, you need to take its choice seriously, because eating berries with bitterness is dangerous to your health.

The simple recommendations outlined in the article will help prevent the purchase of harmful and bitter specimens and protect yourself from poisoning.