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Forced Ripen Bananas are Risky for Health!

Updated on May 3, 2013
Bananas
Bananas

Bananas are undoubtedly great for our health, scientists and medical researchers have confirmed about that. And should you need to know about the benefits of bananas, you can read it here: All About Bananas.

Now, I would like to reveal to your how bananas can be hazardous to your health. This might not be happening in your country but there is no reason why you shouldn't be a little bit cautious, particular when it has something to do with your health.

Bananas are bestseller fruit in my place; people here love to eat them as it is or deep fried. Deep fried bananas are great for evening tea; they are crispy and delicious, everyone just loves them.

The problem arises when the sellers here try to meet the high demand for bananas. And to produce bananas which are 'in time' or ready for consumption, they use a method known as 'forced rip'. With this method, bananas are dipped in water mixed with carbide which turn them into yellow color.

You might wonder what is carbide?

Carbide is a compound composed of carbon and a less electronegative element that are used in industrial applications. When carbide is mixed with water, they will emit heat. And if doing this in a 'close tank' such as a cylinder, the amount of heat produced is even more than the amount of a LPG cylinder can emit, so much that it can be used for 'Gas Cutting'. This means the calorific value is so high that it can replace the LPG gas. In the same way, when a banana is dipped into the water that has been mixed with carbide, the gas absorbed into the banana will make it ripe, unnaturally. Actually the banana is not really ripen, it just turned into yellow color.

Now the even bigger problem is most banana vendors are not knowledgeable when handling this type of chemical. They have no idea of the right proportion to use, they simply just mix it with any amount of carbide that they desire and in most case excess quantity are used.

The consumption of these carbide dipped bananas especially in long term can lead to the development of cancerous cells and/or some other stomach infections.There are already cases where tumors develop in the digestion system of the person who become victims of such unethical practice.


How to differentiate an Edible Banana from a Forced Ripen Banana?

Naturally Ripen Bananas
Naturally Ripen Bananas

The difference can be noted very easily. Bananas that ripe naturally are always dark yellow with small black spots all over them. The stalks are also black as well.

Carbide force ripen banana, on the other hand, are lemon yellow color and the stalks are green. Moreover, they always look very clean without any black spots on them. For people who do not have this knowledge, will often think that the bananas are from top graded and worth buying.

So next time when you are buying bananas, pay attention to the signs mention above. Don't always go for the ones which are perfect, for you might be damaging your health without you knowing it.

Chemicals Used to Ripen Bananas

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