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Health Hazards Posed by the Consumption of Artificially Ripened Fruits in Bangladesh

*Hossain, M. F.,
School of Agriculture and Rural Development, Bangladesh Open University, Gazipur-1705, Bangladesh

Akhtar, S
Department of Community Medicine, Shahabuddin Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Anwar, M.
Department of Surgery, Ibn Sina Medical College and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

This review paper discusses the impact of chemicals used in fruits as ripening agents on fruit quality and consumers’ health. Chemicals and plant hormones are also being used in harvested fruits at the time of marketing in Bangladesh. Chemicals like acetylene, ethylene, etc. are used for ripening immature fruits and thus promote their cosmetic quality. Sometimes fruit sellers ripen immature fruits artificially to meet the high demand and make high profit. During transportation, the naturally ripened fruits may become over ripen and inedible. Many fruit wholesalers make fruits ripen with calcium carbide and also treat those with formalin to protect against microbial damage and thus minimize financial loss. The fruits ripened with calcium carbide may develop uniform attractive surface color, but poor in flavor and the inside may remain unripe. The use of chemicals accelerates ripening but affects the nutritional quality of fruits. Most of these chemicals are harmful for human health. It is necessary to build awareness among fruit producers, traders and consumers.

Keywords: Artificial fruit ripening, Calcium Carbide, Health hazards, Bangladesh

Location: In Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Risk Management in Agriculture

Commodity: Fruit

Objectives:

Fruit ripening is a natural process in which the fruit goes through various chemical changes and gradually becomes sweet, flavored, colored, gets soft and become palatable (Brady, 1987). But various artificial methods of fruit ripening have been observed mostly to meet consumers’ demand and other economic factors. Recently in Bangladesh, people are consuming fruits, ripened with hazardous chemicals like calcium carbide. These pose great health risks to consumers.

Methodology:

The South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives have a wide range of climatic conditions with the altitude and agro-ecology suited for a wide diversity of tropical fruits. This region is the center of origin of about 50 species of fruits (Haque et al., 2009). The major fruits grown in these countries are banana, mango, citrus, pineapple and papaya. Besides these, a large number of minor fruits are also grown in the region such as blackberry, tamarind, palmyra palm, monkey jack, Indian olive, carambola, star apple, mangosteen, Burmese grape, velvet apple, wood apple, Indian apple, custard apple, and Indian gooseberry are very common and popular (Chandha, 1989; Haque et al., 2009). A large number of tropical fruits are produced in Bangladesh. In recent times there is much concern about the artificial ripening of fruits in many parts of the world including Bangladesh (Rahman et al., 2008). People of Bangladesh take on an average of 126 g of fruits and vegetables daily. This is far below the minimum daily requirements (400 g) of fruits and vegetables as recommended by FAO and the World Health Organization (WHO, 2003). Fruit ripening is a natural process in which the fruit goes through various chemical changes and gradually becomes sweet, flavored, colored, gets soft and become palatable (Brady, 1987). But various artificial methods of fruit ripening have been observed mostly to meet consumers’ demand and other economic factors. Recently in Bangladesh, people are consuming fruits, ripened with hazardous chemicals like calcium carbide. These pose great health risks to consumers (Rahim, 2012). Fruit sellers artificially ripen green fruits even during the due season to meet the high demand and make high profit of seasonal fruits. Transporting and distributing fruits from the farmers’ orchards to consumers’ baskets can take several days. During this time the naturally ripened fruits may become over ripen and inedible. A part of naturally ripened fruits can also be damaged during harsh conditions of transportation. It indeed increases great economic loss for the fruit sellers and therefore, to minimize the loss, fruit sellers sometimes prefer collecting fruits before full maturity and artificially ripen fruits before selling to the consumers (Mursalat et al., 2013). Consumers can also play an important role in terms of selecting the right fruit by keenly observing the variation of color and buying seasonal fruits. Many wholesalers confessed that they used to sell fruits like mangoes ripened with calcium carbide and treated with formalin to avoid financial loss in the business.

Source of Information: International Food Research Journal 22(5): 1755-1760 (2015)

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

The fruits ripened with calcium carbide may develop uniform attractive surface color, but poor in flavor and the inside may remain unripe. Use of chemicals accelerates ripening but affects the nutritional quality of fruits. Most of these chemicals are harmful for human health. It is necessary to build awareness among fruit producers, traders and consumers.

Knowledge Management: Journal