Last Wednesday, officials of the food safety department seized 10 tonnes of banana ripened using ethylene solution from the Koyambedu wholesale fruit market. But this was not a one-off case. In the past year, food safety officials have raided shops and seized several tonnes fruits from across the city.
“But that is only a small amount of what is being sold,” said Chennai’s designated food safety official Dr A Ramakrishnan. The sector is unorganised and there aren’t many food inspectors doing checks. In most cases, there are no quick tests that can confirm artificial ripening. “We look for chemicals in the store or go by the vendor's confession,” he said.
Food analysts said they have seen fruits such as melons injected with sugar solution to make them sweeter. Red dyes are injected in guavas.
Since naturally ripened fruits have a shorter shelf life, most suppliers ripen them artificially. “They are picked and transported when raw. Else they become too soft and perish. Some fruits are ripened in rice-bins or under paddy straws. But this can take time and most fruits don’t ripen uniformly. So we use artificial methods,” said S Srinivasan, president of Chennai Fruits Commission Agents Association.
In artificial ripening, the process is controlled to achieve desired characteristics and make the fruit fit for sale. It is considered safe and is permitted by authorities provided safe ripening agents are used. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has permitted the use of ethylene gas to ripen some fruits. “Officials say we can pass on the cost to the customer. But we don’t have enough chambers available and we can’t keep the fruit waiting,” said K Gnanasekar, one of the fruit vendors. “That’s when many vendors pick the masala packets,” he said.
‘Masala’ is the nickname given to calcium carbide – a carcinogenic chemical used in making explosives. It generates acetylene gas. FSSAI has banned the use of this chemical to artificially ripen fruits. But vendors pack them in small bundles and leave them in between mangoes, bananas and sapodillas. In February, officials destroyed more than 2000kg of sapodillas and seized 9.5kg of calcium carbide. By May, when the mango season was at its peak, officials seized 4500kg of mangoes from Ashok Nagar and Koyambedu.
Nutritionists say fruits and vegetable provide dietary fibre, folate and vitamins A and C, minerals and antioxidants. But the presence of chemicals renders them useless, almost. “It is important to buy fruits that are seasonal,” said diabetologist Dr V Mohan.
Off-season fruits and vegetables that are not locally available are often kept in cold storage and adulterated. “Chemicals added to fruits to increase shelf life can cause allergies, stomach disorders, kidney diseases and cancer,” said S Radha, a senior nutritionist. “It’s important to pick the right fruit. A fruit that is too sweet and less in flavour may be unsafe,” she said.
CRACKDOWN: Food safety department officials raid a shop selling bananas at Koyambedu wholesale market
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