Things to check while buying mangoes to avoid consuming toxic chemicals

First Published May 12, 2023, 7:30 AM IST

Due to growing health concerns, authorities have warned traders and entrepreneurs not to use illegal and unethical methods to ripen mangoes. Additionally, the added chemicals are dangerous and can cause various health problems, including cancer. Ensure these things too safe- Anushri Bokade

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If you are also a mango enthusiast, here are some suggestions for detecting mangoes filled with toxins. The mangoes are injected with calcium carbide, which emits acetylene gas when it comes into contact with moisture. The mangoes may ripen more quickly due to this, but there are significant health dangers as well. 

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Colour: While buying mangoes, remember to look at the colour of the mangoes. Whenever a mango is ripe with chemicals, it will have green spots, and one can identify them. In addition to this, if a mango has bluish marks on it, you should avoid buying a pizza. Naturally ripened mangoes have brown spots, while chemically ripened mangoes have pale or white spots. Learn how mangoes ripen by observing the colour of the sites

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Shape and Taste: Besides this, the shape of the mango is also an excellent criterion to know if mangoes are ripened with chemicals. Those mangoes are juicy and comparatively small in size. If the mango oozes juice when you cut it, it's a chemically ripened mango. It has also been noted that a slight burning sensation is felt in the taste buds after consuming artificially ripened mangoes. Sometimes there is also abdominal pain, diarrhoea and a burning sensation in the throat. 

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Press test: It is elementary to identify ripe and sweet mangoes. When you buy a mango, press it lightly to check. Mangoes are considered mature when they become soft. However, if the mango feels hard in places when you press it, it may not be grown and may have been cooked and sold using chemicals. 
 

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Smell: This is not a chemical test, but one of the easiest. Just smell the mango stem. If it smells fruity and sweet, it's likely ripe. If it smells sour or smells like alcohol, it's probably spoiled.

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Dip test: When buying mangoes, please put them in a bucket of water and pay attention to which mangoes are submerged and which are above the water. Mangoes that sink in water are naturally ripe. But if you see a mango floating, you know it was ripened with chemicals. 
 

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