Can bitter melon still be eaten when it is old and red?

People often eat some vegetable foods in their daily lives, because many vegetable foods not only taste good, but also have many benefits for the human body. Bitter melon is a kind of vegetable food that people often eat in daily life, but some bitter melons will appear red and old. So, can bitter melon still be eaten when it is old and red?

First, can bitter melon still be eaten when it is old and red? Bitter melon[1] (scientific name: Momordica charantia L.) is a plant of the genus Momordica in the family Cucurbitaceae[1]. It is an annual, weak climbing herb with many branches; its stems and branches are covered with soft hairs. Tendrils slender, unbranched. The petiole is slender; the leaves are membranous, green on the upper side, light green on the back, and the veins are palmate. Monoecious. The pedicels of male flowers are slender and slightly pubescent; the bracts are green and slightly ciliate; the calyx lobes are ovate-lanceolate and pubescent with white pubescence; the corolla is yellow and the lobes are pubescent; the stamens are free. The female flowers are solitary, with pedicels slightly pubescent; the ovary is fusiform and the stigma is enlarged. The fruit is fusiform or cylindrical, with many tubercles and turns orange-yellow when ripe. The seeds are oblong with grooves on both sides. Flowering and fruiting period is from May to October. Bitter melon is native to East India and is widely cultivated in tropical to temperate regions of the world. It is widely cultivated in both northern and southern China. Bitter melon has a sweet and bitter taste and is mainly grown as a vegetable, but can also be candied; the ripe flesh and aril are also edible.

Second, when it is fully ripe, it will turn yellow and crack, and the flesh inside will turn red and be a little sweet. It can be eaten, but it is not delicious. Supplement: Bitter melon, also known as cool melon, is a plant of the Cucurbitaceae family and is an annual climbing herb. The stems, branches, petioles and pedicels are covered with soft hairs, with tendrils in the axils. The leaves are 3 to 12 cm in diameter, with 5 to 7 deep palmate lobes, the lobes are oval and serrated on the outer edges. It blooms at the turn of spring and summer, and is monoecious and yellow in color. The fruit is oblong, with numerous irregular tubercle-like protrusions on the surface. The seeds are hidden in the fleshy fruit and are covered with a red capsule when ripe. Bitter melon is a favorite vegetable. Its origin is unclear, but it is generally believed to be native to tropical regions. It is widely grown in South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and the Caribbean Islands.

Can bitter melon be eaten if it is old and red? As long as the flesh is not spoiled, it can be eaten. Generally, the seeds turn red because the bitter melon is too ripe. Lycopene is a natural pigment with a bright red color. It has a very narrow distribution in nature and is mainly found in foods such as tomatoes, watermelons, red grapefruits, papayas, bitter melon seeds, and guavas. Bitter melon has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. Generally, bitter melon seeds are soft when they are fresh and tender, just like the seeds in zucchini. They are edible as long as they do not hurt your teeth. But when they feel a little hard when pinched by hand, they are not suitable for eating. As for when the membrane on the surface of the seeds turns red or light red, it means that the bitter melon is mature and a little old.