Is that succulent mango that has the pride of place on your dinner table injecting slow poison into your body? It could well be, considering that a large portion of the bright yellow mangoes in the market are artificially ripened with chemicals.
The use of calcium carbide as artificial ripener of fruits, particularly mangoes and bananas, is rampant across the country.
Calcium carbide is an explosive chemical, used commonly to produce welding gas. Popularly known as ‘masala' for artificial ripening, it is banned under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act 1954 and Prevention of Adulteration Rules 1955.
Cheap, available
According to nutritionist K.C. Raghu of Pristine Organics Pvt. Ltd., the chemical releases acetylene gas in contact with moisture, and ripens fruits in about 15 hours. “It costs only Rs. 25 to Rs. 30 a kg and about 200 kg of mangoes can be ripened with just one kg of carbide. This chemical releases phosphine and arsine which have detrimental effect on human health. The fruits will have a garlicky smell and will be uniformly yellow when ripened artificially with carbide,” he says.
Shashidhar Buggi, Director of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases, says common health hazards caused by the use of carbide include diarrhoea and burning sensation in the chest and abdomen. It can also cause ulcers on the skin, irritation on the mouth, nose and throat and could lead to peptic ulcer, he said.
Anomaly
Although such misuse of the chemical is banned as per PFA in 1979, the “Handbook of Horticulture” published in 2010 by Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi, says calcium carbide can be used for ripening (Page 934). PFA has not banned another artificial ripener, ethephon, which comes in brands such as Ethrel. However, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India clearly mentions that ethephon, being a pesticide, is not recommended as artificial ripener.
K.M. Parashiva Murthy, managing director of HOPCOMS, admits that the artificial ripener, ethephon, is used in HOPCOMS fruit mandis for ripening. “This is not as harmful as calcium carbide,” he said.
Pointing out that HOPCOMS is cautious while procuring crop from farmers, Mr. Murthy said the fruits should be washed thoroughly before consumption. “Soaking them in water for a few hours is advisable,” he said.
Tough to make out
Mr. Raghu pointed out that it is difficult for people to identify artificially ripened fruits. “But if the whole fruit is uniformly ripe and is still hard, people can suspect that chemicals have been used. Natural ripening means the fruit will become yellow gradually and not instantly,” he said.
Kamal Gopinath, professor of Food Science and Nutrition in the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), says any chemical used to artificially ripen the fruits is toxic. “The chemicals act at molecular and cellular levels and cause carcinogenicity. They are also hepatotoxic affecting the functioning of the liver,” she said.
These experts point out that artificial ripening destroys Vitamins A and C and other phytonutrients and micronutrients abundant in mangoes. “Such ripening also deprives us of its taste and joy of eating,” Mr. Raghu adds.
AFSHAN YASMEEN
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