Nutritionist María de Lluc: "Don't buy watermelon if it's in this condition."

For a long time, when we go to the supermarket in Spain, we find that melons and watermelons (and sometimes even pineapples) are offered to us cut in half, wrapped in plastic wrap. While this might seem like an excellent idea, showing us the color of the "flesh" of the watermelon, melon, or pineapple, which tells us whether they are ripe or not, could be just the opposite: a risk to our health.

Being exposed to the public for hours without any refrigeration opens the door to countless contamination-related possibilities , which we should pay careful attention to in order to avoid unnecessary risks. In this regard, nutritionist María de Lluc explains on her Instagram profile how a watermelon cut in half is a worse idea than buying a whole one (even if it's more convenient for us due to weight issues).

Appearances can be deceiving: "No matter how good a sliced ​​watermelon looks, it may be contaminated."

It's true that buying a whole watermelon, which can weigh up to five or six kilos, is quite inconvenient when we're shopping. Furthermore, many supermarket visitors want the sweetest watermelon possible , at its fullest ripeness , but they don't know how to identify it if they only see the rind because it's whole.

What seems like a good idea at first glance—being able to see the inside of the fruit to determine if it's truly ripe (a deep red color is a sure sign)—is a breeding ground for potentially serious health problems in terms of bacterial contamination . Although a watermelon cut in half may appear fresh, bacteria from a variety of sources could proliferate inside.

The fact that it is shown wrapped in plastic does not guarantee that it has not been contaminated, even more so when we do not know how long it has been open and exposed without refrigeration : watermelons are not usually refrigerated in supermarkets, probably due to their large volume, because there is not enough space in the refrigerators.

These are the dangerous bacteria that can hide in sliced ​​watermelon from the supermarket.

"Even if it looks fresh, watermelon presented to us cut and unrefrigerated could be full of dangerous bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, or listeria . Buying this fruit this way is quite dangerous," explains nutritionist María del Lluc.

And he adds: "When a watermelon loses its natural protective barrier, which is the rind, it leaves the inside, which would be the sweet and moist part, exposed, and this opens the door to possible bacterial contamination of the environment ." Although apparently

Measures to take into account to avoid risks

As a first professional tip, the nutritionist (like the vast majority of experts) recommends making sure the watermelon isn't contaminated by buying it whole at the supermarket. This way, its rind protects it. If we don't want to buy it whole, for convenience or because we're not going to eat a large portion, the best option is to make sure the cut watermelon is refrigerated.

Another option is to go to the supermarket first thing in the morning to increase your chances of ensuring that the maximum three hours recommended by the European Food Safety Agency for an opened watermelon haven't passed. But of course, we don't know if that watermelon has been tampered with before , was cut the day before, etc.

Another essential step to avoid foodborne illnesses with watermelon is to wash the rind (and dry it thoroughly afterward , and before cutting it at home). Yes, you read that right. Just as we wash the skin of other fruits, the rind of a watermelon should be washed gently. Otherwise, when cutting it with a knife, we'll be introducing the possibility of microorganisms from the outside contaminating the flesh.