Claim: Viral TikTok video suggests that calcium carbide is being used to accelerate ripening in mango fruits.
Verdict: True. According to fruit traders, calcium carbide is used to ripen mangoes and other fruits in Ghana.
Full Text
Mango season in Ghana starts from April to August, and fruit dealers take advantage of this to rake in sales while mango lovers enjoy the fruit in season.
A TikTok video posted by Good Living Ghana has raised consumer concerns about how unripened mangoes are injected with calcium carbide to accelerate ripening. At the time of this report, the video had been liked over 5K times and shared 2,522k times.
This report is based on the concerns raised about the safety of consuming these forcibly ripened fruits. The aim is to verify the claim and understand the facts behind it.
Verification
In trying to discover the reality behind the video, DUBAWA spoke to some fruit dealers in Bogoso, the Municipal capital of Prestea Huni-Valley, and they confirmed that they use calcium carbide, popularly known as ‘carbad’ to speed the ripening of most fruits and not just mongo.
Some traders Famtima, Ekua Badu and Quayeba said that while calcium carbide aids in ripening fruits, it adversely affects retail sellers as it can spoil the fruit if not sold off as soon as they are ripe. Additionally, they mention the use of alum, a substance also used in water treatment, alongside calcium carbide.
Municipal Nutrition Officer at the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal Health Directorate, Mr Isaac Opoku, says calcium carbide contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus that can harm human health. He noted that the consumption of calcium carbide-ripened fruits could cause short-term gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In contrast, long-term exposure to arsenic, which is frequently found as a contaminant in calcium carbide, can lead to serious health problems such as cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders.
He says calcium carbide exposure may also affect hormone balance and impair reproductive health. According to him, arsenic accumulates in the liver and kidneys over time, which can cause damage and increase the risk of liver and kidney cancer.
He stressed the need to increase public awareness regarding this issue. He urged authorities to enact stringent regulations to mitigate the use of calcium carbide in food ripening. He called upon individuals involved in this activity to quit, highlighting the dire consequences.
A write-up by Dr Paul Kofi Fynn on the state-owned online platform Graphic.com.gh also confirms that calcium carbide is used in some parts of Ghana to ripen fruits, particularly mangoes, artificially. This technique, however, is banned in many countries and strongly advised against owing to the potential health dangers. According to research done by scientists, when calcium carbide comes in contact with moisture in the atmosphere, it produces acetylene gas, which, like ethylene, accelerates the ripening process of fruits and vegetables.
What is calcium carbide?
Calcium carbide, also known as acetylide, is a grayish-black crystalline powder. It has a garlic-like odour, and it is used to generate acetylene gas. It is used in the doing the following:
- Calcium hydroxide and acetylene are produced using calcium carbide.
- Polyvinyl chloride is produced using calcium carbide as acetylene is a derivative of calcium carbide and can be used as raw material for producing polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
- Calcium cyanamide can be produced using calcium carbide.
- Desulphurisation (i.e., removal of sulfur from any metal) of iron can be done using calcium carbide.
- Some lamps use carbide, which is known as carbide lamps. Earlier, these lamps were used in automobile headlights.
Traders’ guide to detecting carbide-ripened fruits
The traders DUBAWA spoke to provide indicators to watch out for when identifying mangoes ripened with calcium carbide. They stated that mangoes ripened with calcium carbide exhibit green patches; those that float in water when submerged are chemically ripened, and mangoes that look ripe but are still hard when pressed.
Conclusion
Indeed, calcium carbide is used to ripen fruits, which can cause chemical health issues.
This report was produced under the DUBAWA Non-urban Journalists Mentorship project aimed at promoting a culture of truth and verification in non-urban newsrooms in Ghana with support from the US Embassy in Ghana.
