Here is a good example of a cluster past its prime. The color is still there but much fainter. The flesh is much tougher and the taste will not be as nice as when young. You can also see how the edges have become sharper. As this ages more it will become paler and paler and will fall from the tree as a whole. You can see old specimens on the ground completely white and powdery. You could still consume this batch if you really wanted to but it is not something I would use as a main ingredient. Soaking can help bring it back slightly but nothing can be done to the taste to make it compare to the young samples.