Dangers of Artificially Ripened Mangoes: Health Hazards and Regulatory Actions

With mangoes overflowing markets summer season, health officials and experts are sounding the alarm at unsafe ripening processes that render the fruit visually ripe for sale but hazardous for consumption. Although the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) permits controlled use of ripening chemicals, violations are rampant. The Department of Agricultural Marketing conducted awareness campaigns and inspections against street vendors and wholesalers recently.

One of the biggest issues in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is the extensive use of calcium carbide, a chemical prohibited for fruit ripening. Merchants put it in sachets within mango crates, topping them with cloth and grass to emit acetylene gas. This produces high heat, ripening mangoes rapidly but depositing toxic residues.

Calcium carbide emits acetylene gas with toxic traces of arsenic and phosphorus. These have come to be popularly known as 'Masala'. These materials are harmful enough to create acute health conditions like dizziness, excessive thirst, irritation, weakness, swallowing difficulties, vomiting, and skin ulcers. Furthermore, acetylene gas poses the same dangers to handlers too. There is a possibility of calcium carbide coming in direct contact with fruits while in use and depositing arsenic and phosphorus residues on fruits.

Eating mangoes ripened with calcium carbide results in numerous health problems. Its symptoms are dizziness, excessive thirst, irritation, weakness, swallowing difficulty, vomiting, and ulcers in the skin. In extreme cases, it impacts the nervous system, causes hormonal imbalance, and even causes cancer. The pregnant woman and children are even more susceptible to these harmful effects.

The application of calcium carbide for fruit ripening has been prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. ^[1] According to Regulation 2.3.5, it has been specifically mentioned as follows, "No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale under any description, fruits which have been artificially ripened by use of acetylene gas, commonly known as carbide gas."

Enforcement of the ban is still a challenge. The authorities have raided and confiscated artificially ripened mangoes from different vendors. In Telangana, for example, raids resulted in the confiscation of 3,860 kilograms of mangoes and the arrest of seven people involved in illegal ripening. The police also confiscated carbide powder and ethylene sachets in the raids.

In order to encourage safer ripening techniques, FSSAI allows the application of ethylene gas as a safer option for fruit ripening in India. Ethylene gas may be applied at concentrations of up to 100 ppm (100 μl/L), depending on the crop, variety, and maturity. Ethylene is a naturally occurring fruit hormone that controls the process of ripening by stimulating and regulating a chain of chemical and biochemical reactions.

Furthermore, the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB & RC) has licensed Ethephon 39% SL for uniform ripening of mangoes and other fruits.

Consumers can also take some precautions to reduce the risk of eating artificially ripened mangoes:

Visual Inspection: Do not buy mangoes that are unnaturally bright or have a uniform color, as this could be a sign of artificial ripening.

Smell Test: Naturally ripened mangoes will have a sweet smell, whereas artificially ripened mangoes will not have this scent.

Purchase from Reputable Sources: Purchase mangoes from reliable vendors who follow safe ripening procedures.

Report Suspicious Practices: If you find any evidence of the use of prohibited substances for ripening, report it to the local food safety authorities.

Education regarding the risks of artificially ripened fruits and following safe ripening practices can go a long way in ensuring that consumers relish mangoes without harming their health. Regulatory agencies such as FSSAI continue to keep a watchful eye and impose regulations to stop the practice of using illegal substances in fruit ripening.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Sakshi Thakar/MSM)