200 kg of mangoes seized, destroyed

Officials inspecting mango wholesale trading centres in Thoothukudi on Monday. 

Thoothukudi

As many as 200 kg of mangoes, which have been identified as artificially ripened, were seized and destroyed during raids in parts of Thoothukudi on Monday.

A team of officials led by District Designated Food Safety Officer, Food Safety and Standards Act, J. Thangavignesh conducted surprise raids to check whether mangoes were ripened with the aid of calcium carbide, a chemical substance.

But, this time, the seized mangoes in two godowns located in Thoothukudi town were decayed due to improper application of ethylene, Mr. Thangavignesh said.

The Department of Agriculture permitted the mango traders to ripen the fruit with ethylene. This method came into effect since 2014.

Ethylene, secreted from mango trees, could be used in liquid form to apply on mangoes. The ethylene liquid should be sprayed on mangoes and it would ripen mangoes in a day or two thus making them fit for consumption as per FSSA norms.

Ethylene produces natural gas initially but ripens mangoes, kept in a favourable atmosphere. Ten ml of ethylene liquid needs to be dissolved in ten litres of water for spraying it on considerable number of mangoes. But, now the mango vendors have been instructed to establish ethylene gas chamber to ripen the mangoes instead of spraying the ethylene liquid, he told The Hindu.

Mostly, decayed mangoes were used as an ingredient of mixed fruit juice. Hence, the team inspected 10 fruit juice shops in parts of Jeyaraj road and Balavinayagar Kovil road here.

The vendors were instructed not to use colouring agent, which is harmful to health, in the mixed fruit juice. Food safety officers in all 16 blocks would conduct surprise checks in juice shops to check any adulteration, he said.