My watermelon has a ‘hollow heart.’ Is it OK to eat?

HOUSTON – There’s nothing better than fresh watermelon on a hot Texas summer day.

I love this fruit, and recently one of our KPRC 2 team members said they cut their watermelon this weekend and were excited for their first bite, then they saw the inside of their watermelon was cracked. Experts say this is called hollow heart.

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Are these watermelons safe to eat?

Yes, they are.

Hollow heart is a fruit disorder that affects the shape of the fruit. This causes the inside to break apart into three parts.

This condition is not a disease and only impacts seed production. It is caused when the plants that grow watermelons do not receive enough pollen, according to Purdue University’s Extension Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab. Colder temperatures and less bee movement during pollination can cause poor pollination.

Watermelons with this condition have a triangular shape. Watermelon plants with seeds are usually placed near the seedless watermelon plants to help them pollinate. This disorder affects plants when the two kinds are more than six feet apart during the farming process.

Both seedless and watermelons with seeds can have hollow heart, but it is found in seedless fruits more.