Abstract

Papayas are highly nutritious and are highly perishable due to their low shelf life.
These food commodities are reported to be contaminated with toxic and health
hazardous chemicals. Chemicals like calcium carbide, higher doses of ethylene are
reportedly being used in fruit for artificial ripening of fruits and for increasing the
size of fruits etc. Moreover, formalin also used for extending the shelf life of fruits
which causes several health problems. Calcium carbide more commonly known as
“Masala” is a carcinogenic agent and banned under PFA Rules. Recently
Bangladeshi peoples are consuming toxic fruits which are ripened by a hazardous
chemical mainly calcium carbide. This poses great health risks to consumers.
Calcium carbide has cancer-causing properties and causing neurological disorders,
it can result in tingling sensation and peripheral neuropathy. A significant number
of pregnant women consume fruit ripened with carbide, resulting the children
born with abnormalities. Moreover, the widespread use of formalin, in
preservation of fruit is posing a threat to public health. The chemical used as a
solution in water makes fruits attractive and colorful. Use of non-edible coloring
materials and toxic coating materials in fruits for extending shelf life and
attractiveness also causes serious health hazard in Bangladesh. This paper is
mainly focuses on the indiscriminate use of chemicals and their effects on health
hazard.

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Introduction:
Papayas are deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like
consistency, it is no wonder the papaya was reputably called the "fruit of the
angels" by Christopher Columbus. Once considered quite exotic, they can now be
found in markets throughout the year. Although there is a slight seasonal peak in
early summer and fall, papaya trees produce fruit year round.

Papayas are spherical or pear-shaped fruits that can be as long as 20 inches. The
ones commonly found in the market usually average about 7 inches and weigh
about one pound. Their flesh is a rich orange color with either yellow or pink hues.
Inside the inner cavity of the fruit are black, round seeds encased in a gelatinous-
like substance. Papaya's seeds are edible, although their peppery flavor is somewhat
bitter. The fruit, as well as the other parts of the papaya tree, contain papain, an
enzyme that helps digest proteins. This enzyme is especially concentrated in the
fruit when it is unripe. Papain is extracted to make digestive enzyme dietary
supplements and is also used as an ingredient in some chewing gums.

Papaya ripening: Papayas have been ripened successfully for some time by
using Catalytic Generators. Ripening Concentrate to produce ethylene in the
ripening room.

Ripening Protocol:

 The degree of maturity will indicate whether the papaya should be exposed to
ethylene. Papayas which are fully mature at harvest should not be ripened with
ethylene if they are to be stored for an extended period of time. Papayas of
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 minimum commercial maturity will benefit from a treatment of ethylene with
an improvement in texture and color.
 If not using pressurized ripening rooms, then air stack the boxes (at least 2″
between boxes) to ensure proper air circulation. Leave 1½ feet between walls
and pallets and about 6″ between pallets.
 Depending upon desired shipping time, bring the pulp temperature to the
range of 68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C). Apply 100 ppm ethylene for 24-48 hours
(actual time of exposure to ethylene is determined by the maturity of the fruit;
a yellowing of fruit color indicates that the papayas are producing ethylene and
the generator is no longer needed). To achieve 100 ppm, the generator setting
will depend on the size of the ripening room.
o Setting 1 for rooms 1600 – 2500 cubic feet.
o Setting 2 for rooms 2500 – 5000 cubic feet.
o Setting 3 for rooms 5000 – 7500 cubic feet.
o Setting 4 for rooms 7500 – 10000+ cubic feet.

 Maintain humidity at 90-95% to prevent shrinkage during ripening.

 Vent the rooms by opening the doors for 20 minutes every 12 hours to flush
out carbon dioxide and bring in oxygen.
 Once the desired level of ripeness is attained, reduced the temperature to
50°F (10°C) for partially-ripe papayas or to 45°F (7°C) for ripe.

Ripening affects the quality and nutritional contents of fleshy fruits, and papayas
are climacteric fruits very susceptible to postharvest losses due to the fast
softening caused by ethylene.
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General Technologies followed for ripening of fruits:

There are several technologies and methods available today for farmers for proper
ripening. Normally the number of days taken for edible ripening varies for
different fruits and prevailing climatic conditions. For instance, it takes about 5 to
6 days for mangoes and 6 to 7 days for sapotas to ripen. Under natural conditions,
ethylene, a ripening hormone produced by the plant plays a major physiological
role in the ripening process.

 A simple technology practiced in households to trigger ripening is to keep un-

ripened and ripened fruits together inside an air tight container. Since the
already ripened fruits release ethylene, ripening will be faster.
 Another method is to place the fruits intended for ripening inside an air tight
room and induce ripening through smoking inside smoke chambers. Smoke
emanates acetylene gas. Several fruit traders follow this technique to achieve
uniform ripening especially in banana and mango. But the major drawback of
this method is that the fruits do not attain uniform colour and flavour. In
addition the persistence of smoke odour on the product impairs its quality
 Another practice is that some farmers dip unripe mature fruits in 0.1 per cent
ethrel solution (1 ml of ethrel solution in 1 litre of water) and wipe it dry. The
fruits are then spread over a newspaper without touching each other and a
thin cotton cloth is covered over this. The fruits ripen in two days.
 Spreading unripe fruits as layers over paddy husk or wheat straw for a week
to ripen is another alternative.

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  In one of the simple and harmless techniques, 10 ml of ethrel and 2 gm of
sodium hydroxide pellets are mixed in five litres of water taken in a wide
mouthed vessel. This vessel is placed inside the ripening chamber near the
fruits and the room is sealed air tight. About a third of the room is filled with
fruits leaving the remaining area for air circulation. Ripening of fruits takes
place in about 12 to 24 hours.

Uniform bulk ripening of papaya:

papaya are often harvested in a mature but unripe condition, and are
subsequently allowed to ripen further. In natural conditions, they ripen slowly,
leading to high weight loss, desiccation, and ripening is also uneven. In some
commercial varieties of papaya such as Taiwan Red Lady, there is uneven ripening
within the fruit, stalk and blossom ends remain hard in texture compared to the
middle portion.

Usually ethrel spraying or dipping of fruits in ethrel was recommended for

enhancing ripening, but it is a cumbersome process, and may cause some
problems if commercially available ethrel is with chemical impurities. To overcome
this, ethylene gas has been commercially used in modern ripening chambers,
which require huge investments and are not economically viable option for
farmers and small traders. An alternative, simple economical method has been
standardized for enhancing ripening of fruits by exposing fruits to ethylene gas in
the plastic tents.

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Papaya fruits 3 days after storage at room temperature

Papaya fruits exposed to ethylene gas (100 ppm) and 3 days after storage at
room temperature

In this, small quantity of alkali is added to ethrel to release ethylene gas, and fruits
are exposed to liberated gas in an air-tight portable plastic tent. Fruits are placed
in the ventilated plastic crates inside the air-tight tents of known volume. Required
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calculated quantity of ethrel in a container is placed inside the tent to which
measured quantity of alkali (sodium hydroxide) is added for releasing ethylene gas
and the tents are sealed air-tight immediately. A small battery operated fan can be
placed inside the tent for uniform circulation of released ethylene gas. After 18-24
hours of exposure, fruits are taken out for completion of ripening process at the
room temperature.

OBSERVATIONS:
HARMFUL CHEMICALS USED IN PAPAYA:
 Calcium carbide is reportedly being used in fruit for artificial ripening of
papayas. calcium carbide is a carcinogenic agent banned under PFA
rules,1955(USA)
 Formalin is used for extending the shelf life of fruits also causes several
health problems.
 Industrial color for coloring the foods
 Different non-edible coating materials
 Ethrel in excess (more than 100pmm)
INDISCRIMINATE USE OF CALCIUM CARBIDE:
Recently in Asian countries peoples are consuming toxic fruits which are ripened
by a hazardous chemical, calcium carbide. This poses great health risks to
consumers. Calcium carbide has cancer-causing properties and is capable of
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causing neurological disorders. It can result in tingling sensation and peripheral
neuropathy. If pregnant women consume fruit ripened with carbide, the children
born could develop abnormalities.
"Free radicals from carbide play a major role in the ageing process as well as in the
onset of cancer, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and allergies
The use of calcium carbide is not only toxic to consumers, it may also be harmful
to those who handle it. It affects the neurological system, resulting in headache,
dizziness, mood disturbances, sleepiness, mental illness and seizures on a short-
term basis, while in the long-term it can cause memory loss and cerebral oedema.
The use of carbide gas from calcium carbide to ripen fruits is extremely hazardous
to the human body as calcium carbide also contains traces of arsenic and
phosphorus. The practice of ripening fruits using carbide is banned in many other
countries but it is freely used in many Asian countries.

In natural conditions, fruits get ripened by the action of a ripening hormone in the
fruit which produces ethylene naturally. The use of calcium carbide is dangerous as
it produces acetylene gas which is flammable and explosive even at a low
concentration as compared to ethylene. When calcium carbide is used for artificial
ripening, a chemical reaction takes place because of the moisture content in the
fruit. Heat and acetylene gas are produced and the ripening process is hastened.
However, fruits ripened with calcium carbide are soft and have good peel/skin
colour but poor in flavour. They also have a shorter shelf-life. Ripening, a wide
spectrum of biochemical changes takes place such chlorophyll degradation,

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biosynthesis of carotenoids (antioxidants, immune system booster, anti-cancer
agent), anthocyanins (powerful antioxidants), essential oils, and flavor and aroma
components. But all these healthy chemical changes which enhance the quality of
the fruit are lost with artificial ripening. Besides being toxic, artificially-ripened
fruits are less nutritious.

USE OF ETHREL/ETHYLENE :
 Excess ethrel are used to artificially ripen fruits. AS per PFA up to 100ppm
ethylene is permissible, but condition that its must be applied on
physiologically mature fruits.

 Ministry of Agriculture (USA, India, Canada and others ) has clarified that
the fruits are exposed to ethylene gas (fruit ripening plant hormone) in low
concentration of 10-100 ppm exogenously to trigger their ripening. It is
considered safe in the concentration varying from 0.001-0.01% depending
upon the crop, variety and maturity (USDA -ARS). There is no specific
provision in PFA for ripening agents.

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INDISCRIMINATE USE OF FORMALIN:
Formalin is a colorless strong-smelling chemical substance usually used in industry
of textiles, plastics, papers, paint, construction, and well known to preserve human
corpse. It is derived from formaldehyde gas dissolved in water. The widespread
use of formalin, in preservation of fish, fruit and other food items is posing a threat
to public health. The chemical used as a solution in water keeps fish fresh and
makes fruits like papayas attractive.

DISADVANTAGES OF ETHYLENE RIPENED FRUITS:

During the growth and development period of papayas there are many chemical
and physical changes that occur. These have an impact on the fruit quality after
harvesting. Normally, ripening is the final stage in fruit maturation. During
ripening, the fruit changes colour, flavour, texture and aroma to optimal eating
sensorial and textural properties. The agent that triggers these changes during
maturation of papayas is a chemical called Ethylene. Ethylene is a gas naturally
produced by plants e.g to trigger leaves to turn yellow and fall off during certain
seasons like winter. Ethylene is a ripening hormone – a chemical substance
produced by fruits with the specific biological action of accelerating the normal
process of fruit maturation and senescence (dying or going into dormancy).

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Advantages of using controlled Ethylene to ripen papayas:
Ethylene helps to regulate the ripening process. Therefore without ethylene the
ripening process in uncontrolled. This has many disadvantages Presence of uneven
ripened fruits. Requirements for regular sorting to separate ripe and unripe. Ripe
papayas would go bad within a very short period if exposed to uncontrolled
ethylene.

Disadvantages of Ethylene ripened fruits:

Normally, fruits ripened by application of external ethylene lack that characteristic
flavour and aroma of naturally ripened fruit. But they are in no way inferior in
terms of nutrients.
COLORING MATERIALS :
 Dyes: Eating foods containing industrial dyes and colours causes violent allergic
reactions, respiratory problems, asthma, liver disorders and kidney dysfunction
and bone marrow disorders. Nowadays, coal tar dyes are being used in
sweetmeats.
 Asthma Caused by toxic dyes used in most of the fruits
 The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is now warning the public not to
consume the Heritage brand Palm Oil which contain a non-permitted colour.
This cause cancer in laboratory animals and also be significant for human
health specially mental disorder, headache, allergy etc.

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Conclusion: The use of potentially toxic ripening agents is common in developing
Countries.As traders and retailers are under pressure to ensure a regular supply of
fruits, much before their due time of arrival in the mandis, all kinds of
unscrupulous methods are used to ripen fruits artificially. These include reactions
with calcium carbide and other chemicals to make the appearance of fruit
attractive—notwithstanding the fact that the genetics of fruits are being
compromised, as is the health of millions of consumers. the world’s population
reaching over seven billion in the 21st century and concerns over climate change
and global warming taking centre stage, the need has equally arisen over how to
feed the worlds increasing population. This has resulted in scientists and
agriculturists introducing what have come to known as genetically modified foods.
This has further resulted in concerns over these genetically modified foods, and
fruit ripening chemicals and their health effects.

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Refferences:

http://www.academia.edu/2321590/Eating_artificially_ripened_fruits_
is_harmful

http://www.ifrj.upm.edu.my/22%20(05)%202015/(3).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripening

http://www.caresbd.org/uploads/book1_18.

http://www.bioline.org.br/pdf?ja14034

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