How Paracetamol and Carbide can be used to induce Fruits ripening? Know the Health Effects Now!
Last updated on January 17th, 2025 at 09:37 pm
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Do you know that paracetamol (acetaminophen) and calcium carbide can be combined to induce ripening in fruits? Ripening fruits with this chemical isn’t the case, the problem is the big risk they pose to your health.
The use of artificial methods to ripe fruits has become a rising health concern in many developing countries including Nigeria.
In this blog post, I will tell you really quick everything you need to know especially the health risks involved.
Feel free to skim
Today many fruit dealers in Nigeria market make use of carbide and acetaminophen to induce Fruits ripening to meet market demand.
The use of these chemicals become high when that particular fruits season is over. This practice is commonly used on bananas and plantain and sometimes mangoes especially when mango season is about to set in or is over.
Bear in mind that all the imported fruits in Nigeria contain any of these ripe-inducing chemicals such as ethylene glycol, ethylene gas or methyl jasmonate, calcium carbide,and acetaminophen.
What am telling you is also applicable in some counties where health regulation agencies aren’t serious or are being bribed by the fruits dealers.
Why fruit dealers use chemicals to induce ripening in fruits?
If fruits are well-matured before harvesting they will stay a minimum of three days and a maximum of 7 days to ripe especially bananas, plantain, mangoes, and avocadoes. And the fruits may not ripe once or in uniform.
However, when chemicals are being used the result becomes different.
Here’s why fruit sellers use certain chemicals to ripe fruits:
- If the chemical is technically applied well on fruits it brings uniform ripening, giving a shining yellow color to all the fruits without softening. Such a look attracts customers.
- The fruits can stay for a longer time without getting too soft for a customer’s choice.
- Even if the fruits are premature with the use of this chemical the fruits will turn yellow within two to three days.
As a result, these methods help fruit dealers to have ripe fruits season and out of season.
The disadvantage of ripening fruits with artificial chemicals such as carbide, and paracetamol (acetaminophen), etc.
- Any fruits ripen with such chemical will develop some black spots or patches on the body after some days. Check out for these signs on fruits whenever you want to purchase.
- Such chemical makes the fruits to lose their true taste.
- Premature fruits can be consumed through this method.
Are fruits ripened with paracetamol and carbide harmful to health?
Yes, it is. Follow me closely let’s digest the reality.
How carbide and paracetamol used in ripening fruits can destroy your kidneys and liver.
What’s ethylene?
Ethylene, is a hormone naturally produced within fruits. It regulates fruit ripening by initiating and controlling a series of chemical and biochemical activities that brings about conversion of complex sugar to simple sugar. That is softening and sweet taste.
Ethylene does so by coordinating the genes responsible for fruits ripening activities including increase in the rate of respiration, chlorophyll degradation, carotenoid production.
However, ethylene can be artificially produced in the lab.
Other synthetic chemicals that can be used to induce ripening include ethyl jasmonate, calcium carbide, ethephon, ethylene glycol, Ethylene gas and the newly introduced acetaminophen (paracetamol/Panadol).
Types of artificial used in ripening fruits
Ripening fruits with Ethylene gas
Among the widely used artificial ripening chemicals, ethylene and methyl jasmonate are reported as non-toxic for human consumption; however, they are relatively expensive.
Although, synthetic ethylene gas, when used in typical quantities for fruit ripening, is generally considered not harmful to human health because it is a naturally occurring plant hormone.
However, exposure to high concentrations can cause health issues like headache, dizziness, fatigue, and in extreme cases, unconsciousness due to its potential to displace oxygen when inhaled; therefore, proper ventilation is crucial when handling large amounts of ethylene gas.
In many developing countries, low-cost chemicals such as calcium carbide, ethylene glycol, ethephon and acetaminophen are reported to be very toxic.
Learn more
How to use Ethylene to ripe fruits
Effect of Oxidative Stress on Human health
Ripening fruits with Ethylene glycol
Fruits ripened with Ethylene glycol have been reported to be toxic.
Ethylene glycol (EG) poisoning can cause acute kidney injury (AKI) and kidney failure.
Ethylene glycol is a chemical used in brake fluid, anti-freeze, and as an industrial solvent.
Research have shown that when EG is ingested, it’s metabolized into toxic metabolites, including glycolic acid and oxalic acid. Oxalic acid precipitates as calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) in the kidneys and other tissues, which can cause kidney failure.
Ripening fruits with Acetaminophen/Paracetamol/Panadol
Paracetamol (Acetaminophen-APAP) can cause liver damage and is a leading cause of acute liver failure (ALF) in many developed countries.
How Acetaminophen causes liver damage.
Acetaminophen is metabolized into a toxic metabolite called N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine (NAPQI) by certain enzymes partway, (cytochrome P450).
NAPQI can cause liver damage by:
1. Oxidative stress: NAPQI can cause an imbalance in oxidative stress, which can lead to cell damage.
2. Binding to liver proteins: NAPQI can bind to liver proteins, causing cell death and dysfunction.
3. Depleting glutathione: APAP overdose can deplete glutathione, which normally prevents liver cell injury.
Ripening fruits with Calcium carbide
When calcium carbide is applied to fruits, it comes into contact with moisture and releases acetylene gas, which has fruit-ripening characteristics similar to ethylene.
However, in the presence of moisture and at neutral pH, ethephon is decomposed into ethylene gas, biphosphate ion, and chloride ion. Each of these chemicals can have adverse effects on human health.
Direct consumption of acetylene has been found to reduce oxygen supply to the brain and can further cause prolonged hypoxia.
Calcium carbide is alkaline in nature, it irritates the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region; which is the cause of stomach disorders that occur in many people after eating bananas or mangoes ripened with them.
Because of the presence of impurities such as arsenic and phosphorus found in industrial-grade calcium carbide, workers applying calcium carbide on fruits are likely to encounter serious health threats such as dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, and skin ulcer.
Studies found that generous consumption of ethylene glycol may cause kidney failure.
Scientific research had found that these chemicals reduce the value of the natural ingredients the fruits contain.
The study also found that natural ripening yields beneficial effects without toxicity, while stress-induced or chemically induced ripening alters active nutrients, potentially leading to dysfunction of some body organs such as kidney, liver, and memory in humans.
What is the Natural method of ripening fruits?
The main natural method for ripe fruits is to simply leave them at room temperature, allowing them to naturally produce ethylene gas, a plant hormone that triggers ripening.
You may place them near other fruits like apples or bananas which emit high levels of ethylene.
Fruits ripening may be enhanced by storing them in a paper bag to trap the gas; this method works best for climacteric fruits like avocados, bananas, and tomatoes.
Conclusion
The use of artificial methods to ripe fruits had become a raising health concerns in many developing countries including Nigeria.
And, most of these chemicals have been proven to be toxic by several scientific research.
Certain body organs such as kidney, liver, and memory (sense organs) are most vulnerable to be attack by these chemicals.
Artificial chemicals used in ripening fruits include; Ethylene gas, Ethylene glycol, Ethyl jasmonate, ethephon, Calcium carbide, and the newly introduced Acetaminophen/Paracetamol.
However, Ethylene gas, and Ethyl jasmonate have been proven safe for human consumption but may become toxic if high concentration is used.
Ethylene gas, and Ethyl jasmonate are relatively expensive hence many fruit dealers in developing countries opt for cheap ripening chemicals which have been proven to be toxic to human health.
I recommend that fruit dealers should try as much as possible to find suitable places for ripe fruits using natural methods.
And to meet high market demand out of season they should use the safe chemicals mentioned above and increase the price of the fruits to recover their money.
Fruit dealers should stop buying premature fruits from harvesters because premature fruits take too long to ripen, thus, fruit dealers have to force ripening using chemicals.
Please protect your customers’ health as well as your own.
I hope you get the value worth your time, I appreciate your time with me. Leave a comment below if you find this article helpful and don’t forget to drop your question, opinion, or criticism, if any. Cheers!
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
The content provided in Living Good is for informational and educational purposes only. It’s not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal doctor. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Living Good takes no responsibility for possible health consequences of any person(s) reading or following the information in this educational content. Viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medication, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program.
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