The FSSAI advises against using calcium carbide to ripen mangoes as it might have major negative health effects.

The food regulatory body FSSAI has instructed vendors and owners of food businesses to refrain from using the banned substance “calcium carbide” to ripen fruits. “Traders’/fruits handlers’/Food Business Operators (FBOs) operating ripening chambers to strictly ensure compliance with the prohibition on calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruits, particularly during the mango season,” the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) stated in an official statement.

In accordance with the provisions of the FSS Act, 2006, and rules and regulations established thereunder, the Food Safety Departments of the states and Union territories have also been directed by the FSSAI to maintain vigilance, take severe action, and deal harshly with any individual(s) engaging in such unlawful actions.

“Calcium carbide, which is frequently used to ripen crops like mangoes, generates acetylene gas, which has dangerous levels of phosphorus and arsenic.

“These substances, also known as ‘Masala’, can cause serious health issues such as dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation, weakness, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting and skin ulcers, etc,” stated the FSSAI.

Furthermore, handling acetylene gas poses an equivalent risk to one’s safety.

“There are chances that calcium carbide may come in direct contact with fruits during application and leave residues of arsenic and phosphorus on fruits,” the agency stated.

The Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 forbid the use of calcium carbide for fruit ripening due to these risks.

The legislation states expressly, “No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale under any description, fruits which have been artificially ripened by use of acetylene gas, commonly known as carbide gas”.

The FSSAI has approved the use of ethylene gas as a safer substitute for calcium carbide, which is widely used in India, in light of the problem of its widespread usage.

Depending on the crop, type, and maturity, ethylene gas can be utilised at quantities of up to 100 parts per millilitre.

Fruit hormone ethylene, which is present naturally, starts and controls a number of chemical and physiological processes that lead to fruit ripening.

When ethylene gas is applied to unripe fruits, the fruit begins to naturally ripen until significant amounts of ethylene are produced by the fruit itself.

Additionally, Ethephon 39 percent SL has been approved by the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB & RC) for the consistent ripening of mangoes and other fruits.

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