Kurnool: Fruits, long regarded as nature’s most wholesome gift, are increasingly becoming a silent health hazard due to the rampant use of artificial ripening agents across Indian markets.

Traders, in a bid to enhance colour and hasten ripening, are reportedly using calcium carbide — a cheap but toxic industrial chemical banned under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Rules, 1955 and the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011.

Speaking to The Hans India on Sunday, Dr M Suresh Babu warned that this illegal practice continues unchecked in many places, posing serious risks to consumers.

Explaining the dangers, Dr Suresh Babu said calcium carbide reacts with water to produce acetylene gas, which mimics ethylene — the natural ripening hormone in fruits.

However, this chemical often contains arsenic and phosphorous hydride, both highly toxic compounds.

“The fruits may look bright and attractive, but inside they remain raw, tasteless, and nutritionally poor,” he said, adding that mangoes, bananas, papayas, and sapotas are among the most affected.

The artificially ripened fruits also have a shorter shelf life and lose their natural aroma and texture.

Dr Suresh Babu further cautioned that continuous consumption of carbide-ripened fruits can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, chest pain, irritation in the eyes and skin, and even severe neurological complications like dizziness and brain swelling.

Under Section 2,3,5 of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, the use of acetylene gas for ripening is strictly prohibited.

Violators may face fines up to Rs.5 lakh and imprisonment extending up to life under Section 59, depending on the degree of harm caused.

The doctor urged both authorities and the public to act responsibly. “Consumers should wash fruits thoroughly, peel them whenever possible, and report any suspected artificial ripening to local food safety officials,” he advised.

Dr Suresh Babu stressed that artificial ripening using calcium carbide is not merely an unethical business act but a grave public health threat.

Ensuring naturally ripened fruits, he said, requires vigilance from all — traders, regulators, and consumers alike — so that the sweetness of fruits remains nature’s gift, not a dose of hidden poison.