Food scientist advises on common fear that could be draining your wallet — here’s what you need to know

A food scientist and chemical engineer took to TikTok to discuss a common issue that divides households.

The Food Science Babe (@foodsciencebabe) addressed whether you should throw out all your raspberries if you find mold on one of them.

@foodsciencebabe ♬ original sound – Food Science Babe

Noting it’s a personal choice and that some people don’t have options because they are immunocompromised or have allergies, she said, “You don’t have to.”

“For a soft fruit like raspberries, you are going to want to throw away the ones that directly have mold on them,” the creator continued, “because the mold can penetrate the entire fruit. … Also, you can throw away all the ones that are directly in contact with the ones that have mold on them.”

The video was a response to another that joked, “Behind the toddler happily devouring an entire container of freshly clean raspberries is a mom on the verge of a mental breakdown after picking through the $7 box of mold she just purchased.”

Berries, and raspberries in particular, are notorious for their short shelf lives. Commenters talked about how quickly they find mold on the precious produce even if they’ve checked it at the store, with one person saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever bought raspberries that didn’t mold before I got home from the store.”

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“It’s almost like there are berry mold elves in the car,” someone else joked.

But even if those elves strike your stash, it doesn’t mean you’ve wasted all the hard-earned money you spent. Toss the bad ones, then “closely inspect the rest of them” and rinse them under cold water before consuming, as the creator said.

Salvaging what you can reduces food waste and saves money. You can also throw the spoiled fruit in the compost instead of the trash. This keeps it from heading to a landfill, and your soil and plants will thank you later.

The creator suggested that if you’re not going to eat fresh berries right away, you should put them in the freezer for later use in smoothies and other snacks. Another tip is to buy frozen berries if you know you likely won’t consume fresh ones before they start to turn.

If you do eat fresh berries, there are countless ways to preserve what you buy, even if just for an extra few days. This one employs water, salt, and vinegar and purports to “keep them fresh for weeks.”

“I will always trust a literal food scientist like you!” one commenter wrote. “Thanks for this helpful info.”

Others asked about the repercussions of eating mold, and the creator said it was “unlikely to make you sick” but that it could.

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