Table 1 List of commonly used chemicals for fruit ripening and their effects on human health [1, 5–7, 32]
From: A review on the legislative aspect of artificial fruit ripening
Name and chemical structure | Possible health effect |
|---|---|
Calcium carbide (CaC2) | Direct consumption of acetylene gas released by calcium carbide can reduce oxygen supply to the brain and can cause prolonged hypoxia |
Calcium carbide in general is alkaline in nature and can cause irritation in the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region | |
Arsenic and phosphorous found in industrial grade calcium carbide can cause dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcer, etc | |
Ethylene glycol (C2H5O2) | Direct consumption of ethylene glycol may cause kidney failure |
Ethylene (C2H4) and methyl jasmonate (C13H20O3) | Comparing to calcium carbide and ethylene glycol, ethylene and methyl jasmonate are less (or non-) toxic for human consumption; however, they are relatively expensive as fruit ripening agents |
Ethephon (C2H6ClO3P) | No reported adverse effect on human heath for limited concentration (maximum residue limit: 1pmm to 50pmm depending on fruits) |