Don’t go bananas, guard against toxicity in the fruit

Love bananas? Then better watch out. Chances are there that the one you are about to peel and eat contains harmful chemicals.
On Tuesday, acting on a tip-off, food inspectors from the health department of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) busted an adulteration racket which used calcium carbide crystals, a known carcinogen, to ripen the fruit.

Accompanied by a police squad, nine inspectors raided three banana wholesale shops at Saat Rasta. Senior food inspector AD Mayekar said that the shops had chambers inside them, where bananas were treated with a chemical containing traces of arsenic and phosphorus. Dissolved in water, the chemical produced acetylene which made bananas ripen faster.

The use of acetylene to ripen fruits is banned as it affects the human nervous system. It causes indigestion and acidity, and can even lead to cancer, medical experts say.

The BMC team seized the solution and packets of unused calcium carbide crystals from the shops. The chemical samples and some of the adulterated bananas were sent to a laboratory in Pune. The team of inspectors seized and destroyed 1,692 kg of bananas worth Rs18,296.

The police arrested owners of the three shops — Harishchandra Gupta, 33, Devraj Gupta, 44, and Jagannath Yadav, 70. The three were booked under punishable sections of the prevention of food adulteration Act, 1955, and section 16 of the Maharashtra prevention of food adulteration Act.

In January, 2,062 kg of “chemically” ripened bananas had been seized from Iraniwadi, Kandivli.