With help of Fssai (Food safety and standards authority of India) and Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, we get you the knowledge of artificially ripened fruits. Calcium Carbide commonly known as “Masala” is one of the most commonly used chemicals for artificial ripening of fruits.
How Calcium Carbide is harmful?
Calcium Carbide is very harmful chemical for health. It contains traces of Arsenic and Phosphorous, and when it reacts with water it produces Acetylene Gas (popularly referred to as Carbide Gas).
Consumption of Carbide ripened fruits may cause several harmful effects to health as Calcium Carbide has carcinogenic properties. It may effect the neurological system by inducing prolonged hypoxia which causes headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, sleepiness, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral edema and seizure.
How to identify artificially ripened fruit?
Colour: An artificially ripened fruit will have patches and unnaturally bright colour unlike naturally ripened fruits.
Taste: Sometimes tastes also differ, and one can feel a burning sensation within the mouth due to the traces of the Calcium Carbide. People may even experience severe reactions like a stomachache, diarrhoea and burning throat.
Texture and colour of the pulp: The artificially ripened fruit will look completely ripe from outside but it will not be so inside.
Juice: In naturally ripened fruit, there will be enough juice and natural sweetness but in the case of artificially ripened fruits, there will be little or no juice.
Legal Provisions related to the use of Carbide Gas –
Thse use of Carbide Gas in ripening of fruits is prohibited under the Sub-Regulations 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulation, 2011.
There is no provision of Penalty or Imprisonment with Penalty for the persons who stores or sells or distributes or imports any article of food for human consumption which is unsafe and any food which is not in compliance with the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 or the Regulations made thereunder.
