How Long Do Enoki Mushrooms Last? (Must Know This) 2024

Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 05:20 pm

What if you have emoji mushrooms at home and you’re not yet ready to eat them? Food generally gets spoiled when stored for long periods, and the enoki mushroom is also on the list of these foods.

That is why it is essential to know how long enoki mushrooms last so that you don’t have to suffer from its spoiling in the future and be at a loss.

If stored properly in a leather bag in the refrigerator, enoki mushrooms are versatile and have a life span of about one week. However, if handled properly, enoki mushrooms may survive longer than the one-week life span. So it’s safe to say that the more care and freeze you give to the enoki mushrooms, the longer they last.

How Long Do Packaged Enoki Mushrooms Last?

Packaging food generally helps it stay fresh and prevents rot or spoilage. Mushrooms are also packaged when not needed immediately and stored up properly until when necessary.

Well-packaged enoki mushrooms last up to two weeks if refrigerated. Refrigeration is as much a key factor as packaging is.

You must note that packaging alone does not do the trick; you should freeze enoki mushrooms also to prevent them from spoiling. Freezing helps to keep them firm and fresh.

Also, refrigeration without proper packaging is not safe because of the mushrooms’ exposure to the refrigerator’s cold temperature and humidity; this could cause the mushrooms to get very slimy and rot quicker than they usually would.

How to Know if Enoki Mushrooms are Bad

Eating bad or spoiled food can result in a lot of health complications. What if your mushrooms are bad, but you can’t tell.

If you begin to notice changes in your enoki mushrooms, it is better to cook enoki mushrooms properly.

Although throwing them away is a much safer and wiser choice. Fresh enoki mushrooms have a specific nice appearance and fresh smell.

However, enoki mushrooms that are bad or rotten appear different with characteristics that entail bad conditions.

Bad enoki mushrooms often exhibit particular characteristics that include;

#1. Slimy Appearance

When enoki mushrooms begin to rot, they tend to be very messy when touched.

Once you notice your mushrooms feel slimy, you should dispose of them quickly and make no attempts to consume them because they can cause serious harm to your body.

This slime makes it soft and not as crunchy as it should be.

If your mushrooms are not well packaged and you store them in your refrigerator, as a result of the improper packaging, they become very slimy due to their exposure to the humid air in the fridge.

#2. Discolored Spots

Good enoki mushrooms have a whitish color, but once it gets bad, it has spots that become very different from their original appearance; instead of the standard white color, it develops a milkier color.

Once you notice this change, you should be able to tell that your enoki mushroom, a fungus, is decomposing.

#3. Darkened Grills

Darkened grills are signs that your mushrooms are starting to get rotten.

The color is more brownish than the standard enoki mushroom appearance. Mushrooms with a darker appearance require quick disposal.

#4. Dry and Wrinkly Appearance

When enoki mushrooms are not well packaged, they tend to dry up and develop wrinkles.

While some enoki mushrooms may become slimy, not all do so. Some become very dry and wrinkled.

It does not mean it is not as bad as the slimy ones; the spoiled mushroom is spoiled, whether dirty or dry and wrinkled; you should make sure not to consume the dried enoki mushrooms.

#5. Foul Smell

This characteristic is very prominent and easy to notice; once your enoki mushrooms get bad, they tend to have a foul smell; the smell is so bad that consuming such mushrooms is impossible.

Mushrooms with foul odors should be disposed of quickly to avoid the whole room or refrigerator smelling the same. With the foul smell, enoki mushrooms taste as awful as they smell.

What Happens When you Eat Bad Enoki Mushrooms?

When enoki mushrooms get bad, they contain very high concentrations of listeria.

Listeria or Listeria monocytogenes is a harmful bacterium found in contaminated food. Listeria causes a lot of harm to the body, equivalent to food poisoning.

Eating bad enoki mushrooms may cause more damage to your body system than you know; here are the symptoms one may experience after consuming rotten enoki mushrooms;

Fever

Muscle aches

Stiff neck

Convulsion

Confusion

Loss of balance

Diarrhea or other gastrointestinal ailments

Consumption of spoiled mushrooms generally is hazardous as it may cause Botulism.

Botulism is also a food poisoning method caused by consuming contaminated food with the bacteria clostridium botulinum.

Symptoms of Botulism include; vomiting, difficulty in breathing, and paralysis.

If you notice your enoki mushrooms begin to rot, to be on the safer side, avoid taking them and dispose of them as quickly as you can.

And it would help if you always kept watching your enoki mushrooms while storing them in the refrigerator to notice the changes immediately they occur, so you don’t have to consume them and endanger yourself health-wise.

How Do You Know if Enoki Mushrooms are Still Good?

Fresh enoki mushrooms are very appealing to see and eat. They don’t cause any harm to the body and are relatively very beneficial.

It would help if you always cook enoki mushrooms, making them tastier and healthier for consumption.

Even if you freeze enoki mushrooms, you should check on them regularly to ensure they’re still very healthy and suitable for consumption.

If you properly package and freeze enoki mushrooms, they may last up to two weeks.

Whereas the characteristics of spoiled enoki mushrooms above are present when it begins to rot, good enoki mushrooms have opposite characteristics.

This opposition is evident in the table below;

Good Enoki Mushrooms	Bad Enoki Mushrooms
Mostly smell like dirt and fungi	Strong foul smell
Whitish appearance	Milky or greenish appearance
Dry and firm or a bit damp	Slimy to touch
A bit damp and fresh	Dry and wrinkled
No discolored spots, the same blend of color throughout the mushroom flesh	Discolored spots are present; like patches due to their decomposition

Although the fresh enoki mushroom sometimes is dry, that doesn’t mean it is not good.

The dried enoki mushroom with a firm nature and other good characteristics tell you that it is fresh.

You’d know it is no longer suitable for consumption if it appears wrinkled. Good enoki mushrooms are beneficial to health and have a very appealing flavor.

Eating good emoji mushrooms helps to boost the immune system and reduce blood sugar, cholesterol and hypertension.

That is why you should take only the fresh emoji mushrooms for proper health maintenance.