In India, a lot of adulteration has been seen in food items for some time now. Such dangerous chemicals are used to make food items look beautiful and increase their quantity. These can cause serious health problems for people. Similarly, businessmen are also using chemicals to ripen mangoes quickly.
Recently, the Food Safety Department in Tamil Nadu has seized about 7.5 tonnes of fake ripened mangoes from a warehouse. Calcium carbide was being used to ripen these mangoes. Let us tell you that this is a chemical substance whose use is banned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The residues of this chemical easily enter the mangoes which can cause serious health problems in the body of the person who eats that mango.
After all how are fake mangoes made from calcium carbide
According to FSSAI, calcium carbide is also called limestone. It is a chemical compound which is used in India to ripen fruits quickly. Fruits ripened incorrectly through this are also called fake fruits. At present, it is being used indiscriminately to ripen mangoes, this is a dangerous and illegal method. The use of this chemical is banned in India. Let us tell you that eating such fruits can lead to problems like ulcers, insomnia, brain problems, nervous system malfunction.
What are the dangers of calcium carbide?
Both calcium carbide and acetylene gas can be harmful to health. Coming in contact with them can cause symptoms like difficulty in breathing, headache, chest pain, vomiting and dizziness. Fruits ripened with calcium carbide are tasteless and less nutritious. Apart from this, harmful chemicals may also be present in it, which can pose a serious threat to our health.
How to identify?
Such mangoes can be easily identified. For example, mangoes ripened with calcium carbide have an uneven shine, usually fruits do not have such shine. Apart from this, some mangoes ripened in this way are yellow and some are green. These mangoes show more wrinkles, especially near the stalk. The taste of mangoes ripened in this way can be raw and half-ripe. Also, they have a strange smell.
Also read: Before eating packaged food, know the difference between expiry date and best before date
