How to understand that mushrooms in the refrigerator have deteriorated: determining freshness by photo, description, signs

Champignons are one of the most commonly used mushrooms in cooking. On sale they can be found in any store, however, these products may not always be fresh. To understand that the mushrooms have gone bad, and not to ruin your future culinary masterpiece, you can use one of the methods suggested below.

Can champignons go bad in the refrigerator?

Champignons, like any other food, have their own maximum permissible shelf life in the refrigerator. When deviating from the recommended parameters of temperature or humidity, it decreases sharply. Under such conditions, as well as when the permissible shelf life is exceeded, intensive decomposition processes begin in the tissues of the fungus, leading to spoilage of the product.

How to understand that mushrooms are gone

Freshly harvested champignons have an attractive appearance, they are elastic to the touch, they do not have any signs of rot and decay. However, it takes only a few hours for such mushrooms to notice the first signs of spoilage.

In this photo - spoiled champignons

This happens especially quickly at elevated temperatures and humidity. If the mushrooms are not placed in the refrigerator within the next 6-8 hours, they will quickly start to deteriorate.

What spoiled champignons look like

Signs of spoiled fresh mushrooms are:

1. Lack of the matte sheen characteristic of freshly assembled pieces.
2. The appearance of black dots on the surface of the cap.
3. Fruit bodies became moist and slippery.
4. The appearance of an off-odor that differs from the natural almond or aniseed aroma of champignons.
5. Blackening of the plates on the back of the cap.

By all these signs, you can quickly understand that the mushrooms are spoiled. If the damage is of a local nature, then the crop can most likely be saved by sorting out the mushrooms, cutting out problem areas and putting them into processing with mandatory boiling. If the damage began en masse, then it is better not to tempt fate and throw the mushrooms in the trash.

How to know if dried mushrooms have gone bad

Drying is a great way to store mushrooms for future use. However, violations of conditions, as well as storage periods, often lead to their deterioration. You can identify spoiled champignons by the following criteria:

1. Mold has appeared on the plates of dried mushrooms.
2. The smell of rot is clearly felt in the aroma of mushrooms.
3. The plates have lost their elasticity and are crumbling.
4. The larvae of parasites or their signs (passages, holes) appeared in the mushrooms.

Dried mushrooms need to be inspected from time to time

If these signs of spoiled mushrooms are detected in a timely manner, then part of the stock can sometimes be saved. In this case, it is necessary to completely sort out all the mushrooms and, without pity, throw out everything that has at least the slightest signs of damage.

How to find out if pickled, canned mushrooms have gone bad

Canned champignons are a real delicacy.Many mushroom pickers pickle and salt them on their own, and in this case, the probability of damage to the blanks is quite high. This may be due to the following factors:

1. Poor quality raw materials or ingredients.
2. Violation of the cooking technology.
3. Poor raw material pretreatment.
4. Insufficient sterilization of the product or container.
5. Poor capping.
6. Violation of storage conditions.

Each of these factors, individually or in combination, can lead to damage to workpieces. Determining if canned mushrooms have gone bad is quite simple. Signs of this are:

1. Lack of clarity of brine or preservative.
2. The lids on the cans are swollen.
3. Fermentation accompanied by the release of gas bubbles.
4. Strong unpleasant odor from an open container.
5. Slime or mold on the removed pieces of food.

Bombage (swollen lids) - the first sign of spoilage of canned mushrooms

Is it possible to eat expired champignons

There are deadlines for any storage method. If, after this period, no traces of spoilage are found, then the mushrooms can be eaten. In this case, fresh or frozen fruit bodies are best subjected to heat treatment. In any case, it is advisable not to exceed the shelf life of mushrooms in any form, because they are a perishable product. If any signs of spoilage appear on the fruit bodies, then their use must be abandoned. Canned expired champignons are especially dangerous, they should be examined carefully and, at the slightest suspicion, sent to the trash heap. You shouldn't risk your health.

What happens if you eat spoiled mushrooms

Eating mushrooms that have begun to deteriorate in food can lead to indigestion and, in some cases, severe food poisoning. Signs of this include the following symptoms:

1. Sharp spasmodic pains in the stomach.
2. Nausea, vomiting with traces of bile and mucus.
3. Diarrhea.
4. General weakness.
5. Increased sweating.
6. Increased body temperature, chills.
7. Heart rhythm disorders.

Poisoning by rotten mushrooms can be fatal

How to determine the freshness of mushrooms

When purchasing champignons in a store or from your hands, be sure to pay attention to the following:

1. The surface of the cap should be flat, glossy white.
2. There should be no traces of impacts, rot, dents or other mechanical damage on the surface.
3. The cover covering the plates must be intact.
4. The cut on the leg should not be dark.
5. The mushroom should have a pleasant aroma without a rotten smell.
6. The surface of the cap should be dry, pleasant to the touch, and free of mucus.

The photo above will help you understand how you can determine that fresh mushrooms have gone bad. If the blanket covering the back of the cap is broken, then you should definitely pay attention to the color of the plates. If they are chocolate brown, then the mushroom is most likely old. In young specimens, the plates have a pinkish tint.

Storage rules

The shelf life of mushrooms depends on many factors, including the way they are preserved. Freshly picked mushrooms should not be kept warm for more than 12 hours. During this time, they must be placed in the refrigerator or processed. After freezing or conservation, their shelf life is much longer. Here are some conditions and recommended storage times for these mushrooms:

1. In the fridge. In the refrigerator, fresh champignons may not spoil for 3 to 6 days. In this case, for storage, you must use a closable container to prevent moisture loss. Storage temperature should be within +2 .. + 4 ° С.
2. Frozen. The freezer allows you to keep fresh mushrooms for much longer - from 6 to 9 months. Moreover, they should be in plastic packaging, or better - in a vacuum. The temperature should be maintained in the region of - 18 ° С.

It is better to store frozen mushrooms in the freezer in a container.

With the help of deep freezing, you can store not only fresh, but also pre-boiled or fried mushrooms. After heat treatment, they are cooled, laid out in containers or bags and placed in a freezer. Under the same temperature conditions, fruit bodies are stored without loss of properties for up to 6 months.

A short video on how to properly freeze and store mushrooms can be viewed at the link below:

Storage methods:

1. Drying. Cut into slices and well dried fruit bodies are stored in clean linen bags in a cool dry place. Under these conditions, mushrooms can last 1-1.5 years.
2. Pickling. Subject to the canning technology, pickled mushrooms can be stored in a cool place for up to 1 year.

Canned champignons are a real decoration of the table

Commercially made canned food usually has a longer shelf life - up to 2 years.

Conclusion

In most cases, it is quite simple to understand that the mushrooms have deteriorated: you just need to carefully examine them. If there are signs of spoilage, you do not need to eat such mushrooms, no matter how sorry they are. You should never save money and risk your health.

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