How to Tell if a Mango Is Ripe

Whether you eat it directly, add it to some of your favorite dishes like desserts, salads, or baked foods, or make it into juice, mango is a delicious tropical fruit you will enjoy. However, many don’t know how to tell if a mango is ripe.

Like all fruits, it is best enjoyed ripe, as the flavor is sweet and juicy. Many people have been disappointed whenever they buy a mango. It could feel soft, but when cut, it is unripe and not ready for eating.

It is important to know when a mango is ripe to enjoy its great taste. This article will give you helpful guidelines on how to tell if a mango is ripe by color, texture, or smell.

3 Ways to Tell if a Mango is Ripe

Below are ways to consider in telling if a mango is ripe or not. You don’t consider the first and ignore the others. Instead, you must consider all three aspects to determine if the mango is ripe.

Texture

Checking the texture of mango has to do with feeling it. When you hold the mango, you should be able to feel if it is hard or soft. If the mango is hard as a rock, be aware that it is not close to being ripe, but when it is soft, it is ripe.

To avoid bruising the fruit, the best thing to do, as advised, is to press or gently squeeze by applying light pressure with your palm instead of your fingertips. You can gently rub your fingertips over the surface of the mango. It shows few wrinkles if the mango is ripe. 

Though some mangoes remain smooth even when ripe and show no wrinkles when rubbed, all ripe mangoes are not hard as a rock, so look out for a soft mango.

Smell

A ripe mango fruit has a strong fruity, sweet smell. The scent can best be perceived when sniffed at the stem area of the mango because that is where the odor is the strongest, and it will give you the exact idea of how it smells. It will remind you of how a mango tastes since taste greatly impacts how a thing smells.

When the mango has an alcoholic or sour scent when sniffed, it depicts a strong bitter smell. It doesn’t mean that the mango is bitter or unripe; it creates an awareness that it is over-ripened and beginning to rot. The reason for its alcoholic and sour scent is that they are beginning to go bad, and they’re naturally fermenting.

Mango can also have a neutral or no scent at all. It only indicates that the mango needs to be ripe or ready to eat. A ripe mango is sweet, and the sweetness can be perceived even before you cut the mango. So, make sure your mango has a sweet odor.

Color

Color is another aspect of knowing if a mango is ripe. You have to take a close look and notice its color and appearance. Almost all mangoes change color as they get ripe, but their different colors have nothing to do with how ripe it is. 

So it is difficult to know and determine the ripeness of a mango through the color because the color of a mango does not fully indicate that the mango is ripe. With the color, there must be brightness to show that it is ripe.

So it doesn’t matter if the mango is green, red, or yellow. As long as the colors are nice and bright, it is a good indicator that your mango is healthy and ready to eat.

How to Store Mangoes Properly

Storing your mangoes depends on when you plan to eat them. There are ways to store mangoes properly, and you can decide whichever way you want.

If you plan to eat the ripe mangoes within the next few days, you can store them on the counter at room temperature. They shouldn’t be in direct sunlight but in a cool and dry place.

If you don’t plan to eat the mangoes immediately or in the next couple of days, you can refrigerate them to delay the ripening process and make them last for a long time. These mangoes can last in the fridge for about a week to two weeks. 

The freezer is also a good place to store mangoes, lasting up to ten months. You should keep unripe mangoes in the fridge or freezer. They should be stored at room temperature on the counter to ripen faster before storing them in the fridge or freezer.

How Healthy is a Mango?

No one can argue that mangoes are delicious because they’re, indeed, delicious. And they are not just delicious but also nutritious and offer many health benefits. For every mango taken, it has many benefits for your health.

It provides essential vitamins, i.e., vitamins A and B. Vitamin A serves an important function in the eyes and skin and boosts the immune and reproductive system as well as the health of your bones. 

Also, vitamin B plays a role in tendon, bone, and muscle growth and improves the absorption of plant iron.

The micronutrients in mango may also fight against cancer because, according to research, researchers discovered that mangoes decrease tumor size and suppress cancer growth factors. Another benefit of mango is that it improves or aids digestion and helps in weight control.

Conclusion

Remember that eating the best mango depends on selecting a ripe mango. You no longer have to worry about selecting a ripe mango, as the tips above will guide you in picking the perfectly ripe mango.

You can only pick an unripe mango when you’re not ready to eat it immediately or in a few days. You can tell an unripe mango from its appearance and hardness and if it doesn’t smell sweet. But if you want a ripe mango, pay close attention to the texture, smell, and color (brightness).

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