Ahmedabad: Come mango season and the priority is to choose sweet, naturally ripened fruits to avoid health hazards. Civic authorities usually keep vigil to prevent unhealthy practices. This time, around sachets of ethylene were found in mango cartons sold by vendors at the Naroda fruit market.
Officials of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) flying squad on Wednesday raided shops at Naroda fruit market to check for chemicals being used to artificially ripen fruit.
"Sachets of ethylene were found in mango cartons to artificially ripen the fruit. Earlier, sachets of carbide powder were being used for ripening. Ethylene is widely used for ripening fruits especially in southern states," said Bhavin Solanki, in-charge medical officer, health, AMC.
"This ethylene is in the form of a starchy powder which slowly releases ethylene gas, which causes mangoes and other fruit to ripen. Ethylene gas chambers are often used to ripen fruits however, there is no clarity on the safety of ethylene sachets. We have sought the opinion of experts about the issue," said Solanki.
Members of AMC's flying squad also discovered sachets of calcium carbide, being used for artificial ripening by certain vendors. While health officials insisted that that no carbide sachets were found, sources said the use of carbide sachets had been discovered.
No comments:
Post a Comment