Consuming fruits is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Fruits are good for your health as they are loaded with vitamins and other nutrients essential for our growth and development. However, the health benefits of fruits are threatened by human greed.
A potentially harmful compound thought to have carcinogenic properties is being used to ripen fruits by corrupt business men and shady market traders looking to make a quick buck.
With the development of booming fruit trade, the fruits are ripened at destination markets before retailing hence artificial ripening has become essential.
There are various methods employed to ripen fruits, but the most popular and cheap agent is calcium carbide.
CALCIUM CARBIDE
Calcium carbide is a strong reactive chemical, with carcinogenic properties. Being cheap and easily available, it is indiscriminately being used in preference to other recommended practices by inducing ripening in fruits.
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When calcium carbide comes into contact with water it produces acetylene gas that hastens the ripening of several fruits such as mangoes, bananas and apples.
This chemical is extremely hazardous because it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus which both have dangerous effects on the human body.
Free radicals from carbide play a major role in the ageing process as well as in the onset of cancer, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and perhaps allergies.
If pregnant women consume these artificially ripened fruits, it can cause miscarriages and developmental abnormalities if the child is born.
Ripening is the final stage of the maturation process; but any attempt to force a fruit to ripe prematurely can destroy the natural ingredients in it.
The practice of artificial ripening could cause fruits to lose their natural ingredients and the supplements they were meant to provide.
How can one distinguish between artificially ripened mangoes and organically grown ones?
FRUIT COLOUR
In an artificially ripened mangoes there will be patches of green. These patches will be clearly distinguishable from the yellow and unlike a naturally ripened mango it will not have a uniform blend of yellow and green.
Another sign is that the mango will have an unnaturally bright yellow colour when compared to a naturally ripened mango.
TASTE
When you eat an artificially ripened mango you will feel a slight burning in the mouth. Some people may even experience severe reactions like a stomach ache, diarrhoea and burning down the throat.
TEXTURE AND COLOUR OF THE PULP
When you cut open a naturally ripened mango the pulp will be bright reddish-yellow, which is uniform.
In the case of an artificially ripened mango it will be a light and dark yellow, indicating that it is not fully ripe.
The comparison lies in the fact that the mango will look completely ripe from the outside but it will not be so on the inside.
JUICE
Another indicator is that when you cut a naturally ripened mango, you will find that it will be sweet and have a lot of juice. In the case of artificially ripened mangoes, there will be little or no juice. This is because the ethyl that naturally ripens a mango produces juice, which cannot be formed when the mango is artificially ripened.
After you have purchased your fruit of choice, place it in a bucket/ body of water; if it sinks to the bottom that means it’s naturally mature and fine.
However, if it floats that means it has been harvested prematurely and you should not consume it just yet.
Wash fruits thoroughly before consuming.
Keep under running water for a few minutes to wash the chemicals away.
However the best method to avoid the threat of harmful chemicals in your food is to start your own fruit garden if you have space.
If you grow your own fruits, you will be sure that what you are eating is fresh and natural. Some fruits are easy to grow and require little or no gardening experience. To be on the safe side, always buy fruits that are in season.
Always remember appearancescan be quite deceptive.
For example, a bunch of bananas having a uniform colour is likely to have been artificially ripened; a guava which is extremely pink on the inside has very high chances of being chemically ripened.
- The writer is an expert/consultant on sustainable agriculture and agricultural innovations.
georgy.mike@yahoo.com
