Artificial ripening of fruits: Death in the house?


Despite the alarm raised recently by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on the dangers of consuming artificially ripened fruits using calcium carbide and other harmful substances, fruit sellers still feed their customers with the harmful commodities. SAMSON BENJAMIN, in this report, examines the effects.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently issued a public alert on what it described as the ‘dangerous practice of sale and consumption of fruits artificially ripened with calcium carbide,’ stating that it could cause cancer, heart, kidney, and liver failure.

Issuing the warning in a statement entitled “The use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening is unsafe,” the Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola  Adeyeye, said ripening fruits with calcium carbide “is very dangerous to health and is a criminal offence and that perpetrators would be prosecuted.’

Warning farmers and traders to desist from the practice, she urged the public to shun the purchase and consumption of artificially ripened fruits in the interest of their health.

 Adeyeye said: “Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. Fruit ripening is a unique aspect of plant development, which makes the fruit edible, softer, sweeter, more palatable, nutritious and attractive.

“However, the consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc, or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health. Ripening fruits with calcium carbide is very dangerous to health and is a criminal offence.”

Significantly, speaking on the effect of artificial ripening on fruit, she said: “Quality affects properties such as colour, taste and feel are lost considerably and it does not give the natural aroma and flavour to the fruits.

“These fruits although possess uniform colour are less juicy than when ripened naturally and have comparatively shorter shelf life. Artificially ripened fruits may be ripe on the skin while the inside is unripe. If the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark, the fruit may be identified as artificially ripened; this is true, especially with banana and plantain.

“Consumers are advised to examine fruits carefully to select the right fruit by observing the variation of colour. If the fruit that you buy is too good among others in ‘near perfect’ ripening colour, it may have been ripened with calcium carbide. Fruits should be washed thoroughly under running water before consumption.”

Hazards of artificially ripened fruit

Highlighting the health hazards of consuming fruits ripened with calcium carbide in a chat with Blueprint Weekend, Dr. Bidemi Ojeleye, said: “Calcium carbide when sprayed with water reacts chemically to produce acetylene, which acts like ethylene and ripens fruits by a similar process. It contains impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, etc., that pose a number of very serious health hazards.

“These impurities may cause serious health problems when those applying calcium carbide on fruits come in direct contact with the chemical. Consumption of fruits containing these impurities may cause cancer, heart, kidney and liver failure.

“They may cause frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcer and so forth. Higher exposure may cause undesired fluid build-up in lungs (pulmonary oedema).”

He warned that acetylene produced by calcium carbide affects the neurological system and reduces oxygen supply to the brain and further induces prolonged hypoxia.

“The impurities are hazardous to pregnant women and children and may lead to headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral oedema (swelling in the brain caused by excessive fluids), sleepiness, seizure, etc.

“Calcium carbide is alkaline in nature and erodes the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region and disrupts intestinal functions. Consuming such artificially ripened fruits could result in sleeping disorders, mouth ulcers, skin rashes, kidney problems and possibly even cancer.

“Other symptoms of poisoning include diarrhoea (with or without blood), burning or tingling sensation in abdomen and chest difficulty in swallowing, irritation in eyes/skin, sore throat, cough, shortness in breathing, numbness, etc.”

He urged NAFDAC and other government agencies to commence immediate nationwide monitoring of fruits markets to check activities of unscrupulous traders involved in illegal artificial ripening of fruits using hazardous chemicals such as calcium carbide.

It persists despite warning

A visit to the Karu Market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Maraba Fruits Market, also known as Orange Market, in Nasarawa state, revealed that the markets were full of varieties of fruits that were artificially ripened.

Blueprint Weekend investigations revealed that some traders are fond of applying various chemicals, including calcium carbide (CaC2) and formalin, to ripen fruits for sale.

A trader in Maraba fruits market, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said over 10 types of fruits, including banana, plantain, mango, African star apple (Udara in Igbo and Agbalumo in Yoruba), as well as avocado pear and oranges are ripened using chemically induced processes.

He said over 30 trailers usually ferry fruits into the market every day, adding, however, that over 80 per cent of the fruits may not be suitable for human consumption.

Similarly, Mrs. Dorothy Bernard, a fruit seller at Maraba market, however, admits that the act is rampant in the market.

She said some of the traders were afraid to admit their involvement in the unwholesome practice because of environmental officers who usually came to apprehend traders who used carbide to ripen fruits.

She said: “Some of us use carbide to ‘force-ripe’ our fruits whenever we buy unripe fruits.  Using carbide will make the fruits to become ripe on time; this enables us to recoup our investment and avoid losses.

“Though, we know that using carbide is not good for consumer’s health but we normally use it in a moderate way, and most of the time, we wash the fruits very well with clean water before selling them.

“If traders are not using calcium carbide to ‘force-ripe’ fruits, environmental officers would not be coming to raid the market at times and apprehend offending traders.”

A meat seller in Karu market, who also preferred anonymity, said he had been observing the unwholesome fruit-ripening process for a very long time, adding that the practice has “now become a norm for most fruit traders in the market.”

“When they bring unripe fruits into the market, the traders would gather them under the shed and sprinkle the powdery chemical or spray the chemical on them. They then cover the treated fruits with sacks for a few days. The ripening agents speed up the fruits ripening process,” he said.

He noted that by the time the sacks were removed, the fruits might not appear attractive, as they would be unevenly coloured.

However, a trader at the Maraba Orange Market, who simply identified himself as Alhaji Sani, noted that the claims that the ripening process of most fruits in the market was induced with the application of calcium carbide and other chemical substances is not true.

He argued that most fruits sellers in Maraba Orange Market would never engage in such unwholesome practice, adding that he could, however, not rule out completely, the possibility of the practice in the market.

He said most of the fruits being sold in the market were usually brought from Benue, Katsina, Gombe, Plateau and Nasarawa states, adding, however, that the fruit-packaging methods usually made the fruits to become ripe in time.

Besides, Sani said the market task force would never tolerate the use of chemicals to hasten the ripening of fruits, vowing that anyone caught in the act would be handed over to the police and banned from trading in the market.

Sharing similar sentiments, a trader in Karu market, who identified himself as Haruna Idi, said the act of ripening fruits with chemicals does not exist openly in the market.

He, nonetheless, could not rule out the possibility of bringing chemically ripened fruits for sales in the market.  Idi, however, believes that “some middlemen usually engage in the acts on the farm and in warehouses because they buy unripe fruits in bulk from farmers and are in a hurry to sell in bulk so as to maximise profit.”

On her part, Mrs Florence Ojimba, a fruit seller at Masaka market, Nasarawa state, said: “We don’t engage in the unwholesome practice of using carbide; instead, we pack the fruits in sacks and keep them away from sunlight for a few days in order to make them ripe.

“We also ripen our fruits by spreading them under the sun or in warm areas to make them ripe quickly.”

An agriculturist, Dr. Tunde Arosanye, also shared similar sentiments.

He said unscrupulous middlemen also use pesticides such as Acetamiprid and Imidacloprid on vegetables to make them ripe in time and also to look attractive to buyers.

Arosanye, who is the National Coordinator of Zero Hunger Commodities, lamented that the act had created a bad image for farmers.

He described the act as an unwholesome practice which should be stamped out at all costs, in view of its health hazards and other implications.

He said: “Those middlemen, who perpetrate the act, are always in a hurry to sell the produce and make money.

“Some fruits and vegetables, which naturally take 12 to 15 days to ripe, are being artificially ripened with carbide and other substances in less than a week.

“They do this so as to make quick money without recourse to the natural maturation periods of the fruits and vegetables.”

Advice from experts

Dr. Mustapha Bature, a clinical mentor, Nasarawa state Primary Health Care Development Agency, advises Nigerians to always wash their fruits under running water for about two to five minutes, in order to wash away the chemical pollutants before consumption.

He called on government to introduce a national policy that would outlaw ripening of fruits with chemicals, urging the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other stakeholders to educate the public on the best ways of identifying such fruits.

“Fruits such as bananas, mangoes, apples, watermelons, orange, peers, among others, should be properly checked. Most times, the colour of the fruits will not be uniform; they may have yellow and green patches unlike when they naturally ripen.

“The texture will also be hard even when it appears yellow. The fruits will also be low on flavour, less juicy and often will not be as sweet as they should,” he said.

Speaking with Blueprint Weekend, Dr. Grace Olasumbo, a nutritionist, advised Nigerians to be wary of fruits and vegetables that do not have uniform colours, especially when they appear with yellow and green patches.

According to her, “fruits and vegetables that appear in such manner indicate that they had been artificially ripened, which is most prevalent at the beginning of a fruit season”.

Besides, the nutritionist advised Nigerians to “ensure adequate washing of fruits and vegetables before consumption and once the taste is odd, they should discontinue its intake.”

Experiences

Narrating his ordeal, Eleojo Idachaba, a journalist who recently suffered severe food poisoning as a result of consumption of artificially ripened fruit said “I bought bananas and oranges on my way home after work. Shortly when I took it, I suffered severe stomach upset in the night. When I went to the toilet, I started feeling dizzy; I could not stand.

“I called my wife, but my voice was not loud enough.  Somehow, she found me where I was on the floor. I was very weak, and I was taken to the hospital the following day.

“I was admitted for three days in the hospital. After a series of test, the doctor told me that the fruits I took were artificially ripened,” he said.

Similarly, in 2018, Daily Sun reported that Emmanuel Okwuke, a 50-year-old journalist died in Lagos after eating bananas, which had been ripened with carbide.

 Okwuke bought the bananas on his way from work that fateful night. Unknown to him, the bananas he ate had been ripened with carbide, a poisonous toxin.

And it didn’t take long for the chemical to start unleashing havoc on the journalist’s entire system. Shortly after he was rushed to the hospital, he was confirmed dead.

However, autopsy result later revealed that he died of complications from the calcium carbide that was used in ripening the banana.

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