Artificial ripening through the use of ripening agents, is done to achieve faster and more uniform ripening.
This practice is common among fruits sellers in Nigeria. Fruits are an essential component of food. They are assumed to protect the body from diseases and increase immunity. Ripening is a natural physiological process that makes the fruit sweeter, more palatable, edible, nutritious, softer and attractive.
Sadly, many of these fruit sellers are ignorant of the health hazards posed by the consumption of artificially ripened fruits.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently warned against fruit ripening with calcium carbide, describing it as a harmful practice that endangers human lives.
