As summer begins, the markets are filled with the smell of mangoes. Mango lovers are eager to taste the king of fruits. Currently, there are many varieties of mangoes available in the market – Hafus, Kesar, Langra, Totapuri, Dussehri, and Pari.
However, it is also important to note that eating these mangoes can be harmful to our health.
According to FSSAI, the use of calcium carbide for cooking mangoes has been banned since 2011. However, many traders are playing with the health of the people by using it to cook mangoes. The fruit ripening process is mechanically accelerated by the use of chemicals, calcium carbide being the most commonly used chemical.
Rule 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition of Sale) Rules, 2011 prohibits the use of calcium carbide for cooking fruit. The rule clearly states, “No person shall sell fruit cooked with carbide.”
FSSAI has asked the Fertilizer Protection Departments of States and Union Territories to be vigilant and take strict action under the FSSAI Act, 2006 against the culprits in such illegal activities.
Why is calcium carbide found in mangoes? Apart from mangoes, calcium carbide is also used for cooking bananas, litchis, etc.
These chemicals are used to make a profit by selling the fruits and to ripen them quickly.
These chemicals also increase the storage period of fruits. For example, mangoes tend to shrivel and lose their luster from the moment they are plucked from the orchard to the market.
So the mangoes are plucked before ripening and sent to the market after applying calcium carbide. The BBC spoke in detail to Jaish Vakani, head of the health department of the Rajkot Gujarat Municipal Corporation.
“Mango is a fruit that starts spoiling within two to three days of ripening,” he explains.
“If it is allowed to ripen naturally on the tree, it will spoil immediately,” he says. It is therefore quickly plucked, and when the merchant has to sell it is cooked in a proper manner in the quantity required.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued strict guidelines for food traders.
On Thursday, the authority asked the food commissioners of all states and union territories to take strict action against the illegal use of calcium carbide in cooking fruits.
Calcium carbide reacts with moisture in the air to form acetylene which acts like ethylene. Ethylene is a natural hormone that is present in fruits and helps them ripen.
Calcium carbide releases acetylene gas which contains dangerous chemicals like arsenic and phosphorus.
These chemicals are also called spices.
There is a possibility that the fruit may come into direct contact with these chemicals during the application of calcium carbide. As a result, the fruit may contain traces of them.
“Calcium carbide is a solid form of carbon. When it is mixed with fruit, it gives it a dark color.”
“It comes in solid packets. So when it is sprinkled on fruits, it dissolves. Some fruits contain a small amount of it, some more.”
“When the chemical is added to the fruit in an uncontrolled form, the risk increases.”
