overripening
Becoming too soft
Overripening is the process of becoming too ripe—fruit softening past its prime, flavors turning from sweet to fermented, flesh growing mushy.
The word applies literally to produce left too long on the vine or counter, and figuratively to anything that has passed its optimal moment: The comedy's jokes suffered from overripening, the punchlines now stale.
Food darkening when cooked
- softeningBecoming less firm
- mushinessSoft, pulpy quality
- wrinklingForming small folds
- bruisingCausing tissue discoloration
discoloration · splotching · oozing · exuding · dripping · pulping · sugaring · seed dispersal
Unfit for consumption
- unpalatableUnpleasant to taste
- off-flavorUndesirable taste defect
- mushySoft or saccharine
- sourSharp, biting taste
oversweet · cloying · spoiled · waste · unsalvageable · unappetizing
Organic breakdown process
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- putrefactionBacterial breakdown of tissue
- moldForm-giving container
- fermentationMicrobial sugar conversion
breakdown · degradation · disintegration · compost · bacteria · fungi · oxidation · rancidity
Having surface folds
- shriveledContracted from moisture loss
- blemishedHaving visible defects
- discoloredChanged from original hue
- spottedSeen or patterned
deflated · sunken · darkened · mottled · translucent · wilted · droopy · collapsed
Starch-digesting enzyme
- starch conversionPolysaccharide hydrolysis to sugars
- senescenceGradual functional decline with age
- metabolismCellular nutrient conversion
browning
Food darkening when cooked
bruising · discoloration · splotching · oozing · exuding · dripping · pulping · sugaring · seed dispersal · juicing
inedible
Unfit for consumption
- unpalatableUnpleasant to taste
- off-flavorUndesirable taste defect
- mushySoft or saccharine
sour · oversweet · cloying · spoiled · waste · unsalvageable · unappetizing
rot
Organic breakdown process
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- putrefactionBacterial breakdown of tissue
- moldForm-giving container
fermentation · breakdown · degradation · disintegration · compost · bacteria · fungi · oxidation · rancidity · spoilage
wrinkled
Having surface folds
- shriveledContracted from moisture loss
- blemishedHaving visible defects
- discoloredChanged from original hue
spotted · deflated · sunken · darkened · mottled · translucent · wilted · droopy · collapsed · leathery
amylase
Starch-digesting enzyme
- starch conversionPolysaccharide hydrolysis to sugars
- senescenceGradual functional decline with age
- metabolismCellular nutrient conversion
overmaturity
State beyond peak readiness
- overageAmount beyond expected
- ripeningmaturation, softening, color change, climacteric, starch conversion
overripeningfreshening
Making more lively
preserving · fresh · freshly picked · curing · keeping
ripe, ripen, ripening, overripe, ripeness, unripened, overripen, overripens, overripened