Use of calcium carbide rampant to ripen fruits

Tribune News Service

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Patiala, April 16

 Though the use of harmful chemical calcium carbide for ripening fruits is banned, the practice continues unhindered at the wholesale fruit markets of the district and there is hardly any monitoring by the authorities to check this.

According to sources in the Health Department, calcium carbide is being used by several persons dealing with wholesale business of fruits at various mandis of the district.

Quoting some instances, sources said over 50 tonnes of bananas reached the mandis daily from different parts of the country, including Punjab, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. Of this, 20 tonnes is sold every day. “As natural ripening of banana takes time, traders use calcium carbide to meet the demand on time. The same is done with mangoes,” they said.

This puts people at the risk of cancer, sleep disorders and even memory loss. It is pertinent to mention here that the fruits ripened with calcium carbide are overly soft but are inferior in taste and flavour and have a shorter shelf life. Such fruits may develop an uniform attractive surface colour, but the tissue inside would not be ripe or may remain green or raw.

 “Calcium carbide is a dangerous and corrosive chemical. Carbide-ripened fruits can cause several harmful effects,” say doctors.   

How it works

Calcium carbide is a dangerous and corrosive chemical. Carbide-ripened fruits may cause several harmful effects. The fruits ripened with calcium carbide are overly soft but are inferior in taste and flavour and have a shorter shelf life. Such fruits may develop an uniform attractive surface, but the tissue inside these would not  ripen or may remain green or raw.