Chennai: Attempting to escape the Public Health Department’s scanner, Koyambedu traders have now started using the imported Ethylene sachets from China for the artificially ripening of mangoes and bananas. Preliminary investigations reveal that sachets reach Chennai from the wholesale traders based in Andhra.
“Though ethylene is less harmful than the calcium carbide, a widely used ripener, it could also cause ailments like headache and nausea. We are sensitizing our sanitary inspectors about the new techniques adopted by the fruit sellers,” said a corporation official.
Taking a hint at the alphabets on the sachets, the senior officials from the Corporation guessed that the liquid chemical was sourced from China. “This is the first time that a chemical like Ethylene was found in Koyambedu market. We are monitoring the fruit sellers to ensure that chemicals are not being used,” said a corporation official.
“We got introduced to the chemical through the traders from Andhra Pradesh (especially Guntur and Hyderabad), who send us mangoes along with the Ethylene sachets. We were told that the sachets were imported from China,” a trader, admitted to DC seeking anonymity.
Even though the time factor for the ripening process through Ethylene is more, when compared with Calcium Carbide, a strict ban on the sale of carbide has prompted the traders to bank on Ethylene.
“It has become tough to source calcium carbide stones since three years, as food safety department is regularly conducting checks. Only ten per cent of the traders in the market were obtaining the chemical from other states to ripen fruits,” added the trader.
It may be noted that a 10-gram packet of Ethylene sachet could ripen around 25 mangoes within twenty-four hours. “Through Calcium Carbide stones, it takes barely ten hours for the ripening process. Though the time taken through Ethylene is 24-hours, the fact that the procedure is not tedious attracts the traders,” said the corporation official from Zone 10. The corporation officials, who are now investigating the matter, are yet to identify the seller.
Artificial ripening
- The solid Calcium Carbide stones need to be spread on a butter paper, which should subsequently be placed among the raw mangoes.
- With Ethylene, the procedure is neat and requires no human touch, as the packet sachets need to be kept with the mangoes.
- Calcium carbide turns into acetylene gas, when it comes into the contact with water. The gas fastens the ripening procedure of fruits including Mangoes and Bananas.
- The liquid form of Ethylene is permitted to use for ripening procedure by dipping the mangoes in the liquid chemical. The seized Ethylene packets, when contacted with oxygen release the gas that ripens the mangoes in 24- hours.
What can be done?
- It is impossible for the consumers to find out the artificially ripened mangoes. However, the healthier solution is to buy the raw, matured mangoes and ripen them at home, by covering it with hay.
