If you soaked berries in salt water and saw small white wiggling things, they are most likely tiny insect larvae (for example, fruit fly or other small fruit-infesting insect larvae). This can happen with berries because some insects lay eggs in fruit before harvest.
Whether you should throw them away depends on what you’re comfortable with, but:
- If you see larvae, damaged fruit, mold, or a bad smell: it’s best to discard the berries.
- If only a few berries are affected: you can remove the affected ones, but there is no guarantee the rest are completely free of eggs or larvae.
- Washing alone removes surface dirt but may not remove larvae that are inside the fruit.
For future berries:
- Keep them refrigerated.
- Rinse them under cool running water just before eating.
- Remove any soft, cracked, or moldy berries.
- Avoid soaking berries for long periods, as it can damage their texture and encourage spoilage.
Seeing a few larvae does not necessarily mean the berries are poisonous, but many people choose to discard them because of the quality and contamination concern.
