Bags of apples don't always include expiration dates. So you may be left to rely on your senses — what Michigan State University calls "eating with all five senses." If you're depending on sight to assess what Healthline calls "physical signs of expiration" like bruises, brown spots, soft spots, or oozing, you're correct to assume that something is going on. That something is the presence of a gas called ethylene, which is a ripening agent. The problem is, when a piece of fruit emits ethylene, other nearby fruits absorb it, too. And this causes them to ripen faster than usual and go bad, Penn State University says. Now a domino effect has been triggered, with the ripe fruit producing more ethylene — gathering steam, so to speak — and causing everything around it to rot. There is no slowing or stopping this process – and refrigerating a bag of apples won't help, either.

Throwing out a 3- or 5-pound bag of mostly good apples may feel wasteful, but it's the wisest move. Healthline says "... it's best to discard apples to prevent the intake of potentially dangerous compounds called mycotoxins." Focusing on that scary-sounding suffix– "toxin" — is a smart move because mycotoxins are produced by molds or fungi, via the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. And eating something with mycotoxins can make you sick (nauseated, mostly). So you may dread your next move — and the most ardent apple lovers know exactly how you feel.