How can you tell if opened capers are bad or spoiled? The best way is to smell and look at the capers: if the capers develop an off odor, flavor or appearance, or if mold appears, they should be discarded. Discard all capers from bottles that are leaking, rusting, bulging or chipped.

Can bad capers make you sick?

The second sign a caper has gone bad is if the liquid or the caper develops a foul rotting smell. If the capers have, then don't try to eat them at all. You are likely to get food poisoning.

Should capers have white spots?

The caper bush is also called a Flinders Rose. The white spots that appear on some pickled capers are crystalized rutin, a flavonoid. Caper flowers are beautiful with delicate white petals that surround an eruption of purple stamens but are short-lived, lasting only a few hours on the vine before wilting.