Use ethylene instead of harmful ethanol to ripen bananas: Govt

Two weeks ago, the Food Safety Department seized 10 tonnes of artificially ripened bananas worth Rs 10 lakh from the market.

“The vendors usually spray a chemical called ethanol on the fruit which makes it ripen within 24 hours, but the chemical is injurious to health. The vendors should ripen the bananas naturally. Or if they have to ripen it artificially, they can use put the bananas in a dark room and use ethylene gas as this method is recognised by FSSAI scientific committee,” said Dr A Ramakrishnan, a designated officer of the Food Safety Department.

“The gas is available in sachets and one sachet can be used to ripe 20 kg of bananas. If the fruit is kept in the room undisturbed for 72 hours with the gas, it will ripen completely,” the official said.

He, however, warned that if the vendors continue to ripen fruits artificially by using other chemical, they will be fined Rs 1,000. “If they repeat, they will be fined Rs 25,000 and on the third time theirlicense will be cancelled,”added Ramakrishnan.