March 21, 2018
BEWARE OF KILLER FRUITS IN OUR CITIES
Food safety and security is an issue of growing interest and global concern. Global industrialization of agriculture has to a large extent tackled the issue of food shortage but more attention needs to be paid on the quality and safety of food being produced and consumed. Farmers have deliberately or ignorantly introduced various potential hazardous chemicals at various stages of farming processes in the form of Pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, steroids, preservatives and ripening agents.
These chemicals and their residual components are dangerous to our health. These farmers are mostly uneducated, hence the onus for regulatory bodies to enlighten them on food safety.
For the purpose of this write up, I will focus on artificial ripening of fruits that is alien to our farming culture. Ripening of fruits is a natural enzymatic process that involves physiological changes in fruits such as change in colour, increased sweetness, softness, flavour, aroma and improvement in other organoleptic qualities of fruits. Many unripe fruits contains high amount of organic acids such as malic acid, tartaric acid, ascorbic acid, citric acid etc.
This accounts for sour taste found in most unripe fruits. During the ripening process, there is enzymatic breakdown of these acids to a more palatable component. On the other hand, polysaccharides stored in many unripe fruits as starch undergo enzymatic hydrolysis to small molecules of sucrose, fructose, and glucose, which gives most fruit sweet taste. There are several factors that influence ripening of fruits such as, Stages of fruit maturity, temperature, humidity etc.
Nowadays, to meet up with high demand, overcome transportation damages and make high profit, some unscrupulous fruit merchants and farmers indiscriminately use various hazardous chemicals to induce ripening of fruits. These ripening agents include Calcium Carbide, carbon monoxide, potassium phosphate, Acetylene gas etc. The most commonly used is Calcium Carbide because it’s low price and availability in the market. Calcium carbide reacts with water to produce acetylene gas, an analogue of ethylene, which quickens the ripening process of fruits. It has similar effects like the ethylene ripening hormone of plants.
Calcium carbide is used in ripening of mangoes, banana, tomatoes, plantain, paw-paw etc. Every nook and cranny our cities are flooded with theses artificially ripen fruits by our fruit merchants .The bananas and mangoes looking greenish yellow colour when compare with the natural ripen ones. The unfortunate part of it is that most of the general consumers are unaware of this unwholesome practice by these vendors. They eat these fruits without thorough washing to get rid of these contaminants. If you visit farmer’s market, Maitama FCT, Fruit market Zuba, Orange market, Maraba and other major markets in the suburbs of Abuja where these fruits are sold in large quantities you can attest to that.
Some of these fruits are plucked prematurely for safe transportation and sold unripe to other retailers who often times induce the ripening when they reach their various sales point. You will also find some that have been forced ripened with chemicals on sales. I noticed that most attractive bananas and plantains purchased from these fruit vendors are not sweet like the ones I buy from the village. Their sweet taste and aroma are impaired.
POTENTIAL HEALTH HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH CALCIUM CARBIDE
Medical experts have warned that consumption of carbide ripen fruits pose a lot of serious health risks. Industrial grade calcium carbide contains impurities of potential carcinogens such as arsenic and phosphorous hydride. Eating calcium carbide contaminated fruits can also cause heart ailments, cerebral edema, memory problems and even seizures in the long run. Even handling calcium carbide can cause cheilitis (cracking of lips) lead to formation of rashes and skin irritation, Calcium carbide is also associated with neurological problems such as Hypoxia, a condition that prompts lowering of oxygen supply to the blood and the tissues as well including the brain. Carbide has been banned in most countries with severe punishment for the offenders.
Despite the high health risk involved, it is worrisome that NAFDAC and other relevant agencies of the Government are not doing enough to curb this rampant unwholesome practice. NAFDAC should start a massive campaign and public sensitization against the use of artificial ripening agents. They should educate the farmers, fruit merchants and the general public on the health implications of Calcium Carbide.
I suggest that NAFDAC should begin a crackdown on Mangoes, Banana, Plantain, tomatoes and other fruit dealers in our cities to stop this practice as they are killing us slowly but surely.
