Unlike brownish-black patches of flesh, the white air pockets in mangoes are not a sign of overripeness or a mango gone bad. However, they will affect the mango's flavor.

The white pockets inside mangoes are patches of starch that never turned into sugar because they were exposed to hot water too soon.

Bathing in hot water kills any fruit fly larvae, but if a mango isn't mature enough, it will increase its metabolism and hinder it from taking in any oxygen, causing it to ferment.

These immature mangoes then start to generate carbon dioxide and alcohol, which form edible white pockets inside the mango's flesh when trapped within the mango's skin.

Since these mangoes aren’t able to ripen properly, white patches are a sign that the fruit will never quite reach the sweet, floral, and creamy flavor of a perfectly ripe mango.

While they're safe to eat, these mangos might be better used in recipes where their not-as-sweet flavor won't be noticed, like mango salsa, cowboy caviar, or margaritas.