Despite the fact that summers bring with themselves scorching heat, sweat, sunburn, and dehydration, one of the best parts of the hot season is mangoes! Yes, called the king of fruits, the divine fruit makes its appearance only once a year, and is available all over the country, in many varieties. From Alphonso to Dasheri to Ratnagiri, almost everyone loves to binge on mangoes this season, either just like that, or in the form of desserts, icecreams and even chocolate. However, even though mangoes are naturally sweet, do you know that sometimes it can be artificially sweetened as well using calcium carbide? Sounds worrying? Well, it is! Read on to know more..
Calcium carbide
Calcium carbide, also known as calcium acetylide, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of CaC₂. Its main use industrially is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide.
Banned in the country
The use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening is banned in India. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited its use due to health concerns associated with the acetylene gas it releases, which can contain harmful traces of arsenic and phosphorus. Yet, the chemical finds its way to the market, often used to ripe mangoes, thus posing many health risks for consumers.
Can a home test prove the carbide content?
Even though a 100% result will only be guaranteed through a lab test, there are a couple of things you can do to check if your mango has been sweetened using Calcium carbide. Lifestyle guru Luke Coutinho gives some simple tips on how to check if your mango is safe to consume or not...
Look for uniformity in the skin: The mango should look uniform all throughout. If one part looks different from the other, then it could be a warning sign. Also look for black dots on the skin of the mango, and avoid buying one if you spot some.
Do the pressure test: Your mango should more or less, feel firm, and not squishy (unless it is overripe) An unripe mango feeling squishy is not a good sign.
Water test: Fill a jar of water and dunk the mango in it. If it sinks, it is usually good to go. If it does not, it will float. This is because the use of Calcium carbide reduces the quantity of pulp in the mango, making it lighter and hence, it might float, and not sink.
Luke Coutinho further says that all of us should do this test at home to check the authenticity of mango, and added that we should not fear the humble mango, rather should watch out for a poor lifestyle.
Calcium carbide
Calcium carbide, also known as calcium acetylide, is a chemical compound with the chemical formula of CaC₂. Its main use industrially is in the production of acetylene and calcium cyanamide.
Banned in the country
The use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening is banned in India. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited its use due to health concerns associated with the acetylene gas it releases, which can contain harmful traces of arsenic and phosphorus. Yet, the chemical finds its way to the market, often used to ripe mangoes, thus posing many health risks for consumers.
Can a home test prove the carbide content?
Even though a 100% result will only be guaranteed through a lab test, there are a couple of things you can do to check if your mango has been sweetened using Calcium carbide. Lifestyle guru Luke Coutinho gives some simple tips on how to check if your mango is safe to consume or not...
Look for uniformity in the skin: The mango should look uniform all throughout. If one part looks different from the other, then it could be a warning sign. Also look for black dots on the skin of the mango, and avoid buying one if you spot some.
Do the pressure test: Your mango should more or less, feel firm, and not squishy (unless it is overripe) An unripe mango feeling squishy is not a good sign.
Water test: Fill a jar of water and dunk the mango in it. If it sinks, it is usually good to go. If it does not, it will float. This is because the use of Calcium carbide reduces the quantity of pulp in the mango, making it lighter and hence, it might float, and not sink.
Luke Coutinho further says that all of us should do this test at home to check the authenticity of mango, and added that we should not fear the humble mango, rather should watch out for a poor lifestyle.
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