Food safety officials: Eating artificially ripened mangoes is harmful
Posted on: 17/Apr/2017 4:06:31 PM
The department of food safety has warned the public to exercise caution not to buy and eat mangoes artificially ripened with Calcium Carbide.
The season for mangoes is from April to June. Mangoes from different districts of the state and also from other states like Andhra, Kerala, and Karnataka will be sold.
However, there is a practice of mixing the naturally ripe mangoes with unripe ones. In order to ripen these raw mangoes, stones of Calcium Carbide (banned by the department of food safety) are used.
How to identify?
Eating the artificially ripened mangoes (Calcium Carbide) may lead to diarrhoea, skin/eye irritation, stomach ulcer, etc. It has also been identified that Calcium Carbide can be the reason to be affected by cancer.
It can be noted that only the surface area of the mangoes will be ripe in the case of being artificially ripened with Calcium carbide. However, the inside would be white. In these artificially ripened mangoes, the sweetness and flavour will be less. They will taste sourer.
Naturally ripened mangoes can easily be cut with the knife. However, the inside of the artificially ripened mangoes will be harder and hence difficult to cut with the knife.
In case you are able to detect and confirm that there artificially ripened mangoes, complaints can be made to the department of food safety:
Email: commrfssa@gmail.com.
Mobile: 9444042322
