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I recently bought a pre-packaged bag of brussels sprouts. The sprouts in the bag looked great, green and plump with not a spec of black or brown on them. The next day I cut open the bag and found that the entire bag smelled like a mix between vinegar and over-ripened cantaloupe. If I cut open a single sprout the smell was even stronger.

There was no evidence of spoilage or a mushy texture, all the raw sprouts were firm.

I have eaten and cooked brussels sprouts many many times before so I am familiar with their normal cabbage-like or sulfurous scent. These sprouts were not like that, it was a strong sour smell.

I tried cooking with them and the smell never went away after either boiling or roasting. They also tasted like they smelled.

Does anyone know what could have happened? Was there some kind of chemical involved?

MeltedPez
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  • Was these packed with protective atmosphere? Maybe washed in something before packaging? What was written on package? And what was "best before" date? As far as I know (and that's not far) both atmosphere and washes are designed to prolong "sellability" first, health safety second, and taste & smell last. – Mołot Jan 05 '17 at 09:38
  • @Molot The expiration date was at least a month away. I've since thrown out the package so it will be a little bit before I can find any info about the washes/packaging – MeltedPez Jan 05 '17 at 16:36

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What you are describing is what we call a food that has "soured". (This is what I was taught growing up.) The food looks and feels perfect but has that awful sour odor.

In my experience it is from improper storage, usually from foods being kept too warm or not getting enough air circulation. (Not necessarily by you, but somewhere along the transport chain.)

I have found it in both Brussels sprouts and broccoli. I have even bought broccoli, used some of it, and later taken the rest out only to find it soured. Or bought Brussels sprouts and kept them for a couple of days before using and found that they had soured. This says to me that the souring process had already started.

Additionally, I have had it happen with fresh corn that was left on my porch in warm weather.

I have also found it in bagged salads and spinach. With those, a good washing and fresh air sometimes gets rid of the odor - but not always.

Unfortunately, we don't always know how foods have been handled and stored before we buy them.

I have searched extensively to find out more about this, to no avail. I can find information about how to tell if food is going bad or rotting, but this is a totally different thing. You have no way of knowing that this souring process is happening. That is, until you smell it.

Cindy
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    Not meaning to start a "war"; just an innocent observation from another direction, but I never heard, growing up or since, of food that had "soured" (except dairy products of course.) In our family a vegetable was either rotten (or on its way there), or it was good. We did not have the concept of "soured". My location being Calif, USA., it seems fascinating that in a lifetime of eating, cooking, picking, and observing vegetables, our two -- "micro-cultures" (?) have developed differing understanding of how they behave. [FWIW] – Lorel C. Jan 05 '17 at 16:12
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    @LorelC. No "war". :) I know people who have observed this and I know others who haven't. This is entirely different than a vegetable or other food rotting/going bad. I don't know the science behind it, thus the attempts to research it. Also, I don't know if the term "sour" is scientifically correct or if it came into use because of the sour smell. However, I assure you that it exists. If you haven't experienced it, consider yourself lucky. – Cindy Jan 05 '17 at 21:08
  • wow, interesting: do you think it might be a specific bacteria type or something that only rots the smell and not the texture? – Lorel C. Jan 05 '17 at 21:24
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    @LorelC. I don't know. It's an extremely unpleasant odor. I've never known anyone to eat anything with that smell. I was always told that the food wasn't good and it was tossed. Again, nothing scientific. I've wondered if there might be some type of fermentation going on but can't find anything about it. But I would think that fermentation would affect the look and texture. – Cindy Jan 05 '17 at 21:34
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    @LorelC., as a Spaniard I also never experienced (or rather paid attention to) the souring . But then I moved to Poland and turns out that pickling/fermenting is a traditional way to prepare some dishes: kapusta kiszona, [ogórek kiszony] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickled_cucumber#Polish) (and it can be delicious!). The german **sauer**kraut is also about this: [fermented cabbage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut). "Various lactic acid bacteria" generate lactic acid, which causes the sourness. So, probably in fact you have experienced this in soured milk, yogurt, etc. – hmijail Jan 08 '17 at 22:46
  • Also interesting (to me at least): in Spain, soured milk was automatically considered bad. Here I learnt that it can be used in a number of ways, and even soured purposefully for some recipes, etc. So to me it looks heavily cultural. – hmijail Jan 08 '17 at 22:49
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    @hmijail : it's also possible that it's regional because of types of bacteria in the region or climate (going sour slowly vs. quickly as they're at different temperatures). And as you mention sauerkraut -- cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts are all related, and the process is just leaving it to sit (in an anaerobic environment). Cabbage leaves are also used for making a local sourdough starter, as they catch wild yeast as they grow. – Joe Sep 17 '17 at 13:26
  • @Joe on the cabbage leaf thing, is it more likely they provide the lactobacillus to the sourdough? As hmijail says, that’s what ferments sauerkraut and it’s also in sourdough. I increasingly read that the yeast in sourdough comes from the grain itself rather than the air as we all previously learned. – Spagirl Feb 12 '18 at 07:32
  • To all involved in the above discussion. Of course rotten and soured are different things. Perhaps they might coexist, I don't know, but both happen to spoiled food. Souring can be a conservation way, tough ( sauerkraut, yoghurt, ....). The point is that a sour yoghurt is good, a sour cream might be, a sour mayonnaise is not.... – Alchimista Feb 15 '18 at 10:33