NATURAL AND CARBIDE FREE MANGOES

A very sweaty morning everyone! Summers have just started and already The King of Fruits is in the market. Yes guys, I am talking about Mangoes. The luscious mouth watering fruit of different breeds can be found being sold in every corner of the city. Now it’s time to start buying them and making different recipes such as Mango milkshake, Mango kulfi, Mango cake, Mango kheer, and whatever possible with mangoes in it. But have you ever wondered why they don’t taste as succulent or smell as aromatic as earlier they used to be? The reason is earlier we used to buy freshly plucked and naturally ripened mangoes. They were natural and carbide free mangoes. But unlike earlier now greed for money has overtaken. The poor farmers pluck unripe mangoes and sell them to vendors and the vendors instead of waiting for them to ripe naturally, treat them with calcium carbide. This calcium carbide ripens the mangoes and they become ready to be sold in the market just in a day or two. This is why they taste and smell different from the natural and carbide free mangoes.

What is RIPENING?

Ripening is a natural process in fruits which makes them palatable. It depends on factors like climate, age of the tree, type of fertilizer used to grow the plant, injury of the fruit and attacks on the fruit by birds or insects.

What is ARTIFICIAL RIPENING?

Artificial ripening is the process in which the unripe fruits are treated with chemicals to make them ripen before time. Calcium carbide is one such chemical.

What is CALCIUM CARBIDE?

Calcium carbide is a chemical compound used for industrial purpose such as production of calcium cyanide for fertilizer, welding, etc. When this chemical is used with water, it produces acetylene gas which aids the ripening of several fruits such as mangoes, bananas, apples, etc. In fact nowadays it’s really difficult to find natural and carbide free mangoes in the market.

However, Calcium carbide is a greater threat than we can imagine. These are carcinogenic and fruits ripened with this chemical when consumed can cause mouth and peptic ulcer, gastric problems, diarrhoea, skin rashes, miscarriage and abnormal deformities in pregnant ladies, allergies, stroke, etc.  Since this chemical helps in ageing, it can lead to cancer and heart diseases if consumed on regular basis.

Now the question arises how we can differentiate naturally ripened mangoes and artificially ripened mangoes. The answer is very simple. Just look for the following when you are buying mangoes:

ARTIFICIALLY RIPENED MANGOES:  

1. These mangoes will have patches on the skin which means the colour of the skin would not be uniform. Some places orange, red or yellow and some places green. This uneven colour proves the ripening of the fruit is not uniform.
2. Taste would be less sweet. Since treatment with the chemical ripens the outer skin but inside it’s still unripe or not yet fully ripe which makes them taste sour, bitter and less sweet.
3. These mangoes will be less succulent and juicy than the natural and carbide free mangoes.
4. They have hard and wrinkle-free texture.
5. These mangoes won’t bear aromatic. You would have to smell really hard to get the aroma.
6. When dropped in water, it would float and not sink.

NATURALLY RIPENED MANGOES:

1. The natural and carbide free mangoes will have uniform colour on the skin.
2. They would be sweet and juicy when cut.
3. These mangoes will smell aromatic and fresh.
4. They will sink when dropped in water.
5. They will have smooth and soft texture.

As now you can see it’s very easy to select natural and carbide free mangoes. However if in case you have no other option other than artificially ripened mangoes, follow the given instructions below:

• Soak the mangoes in a tub of salt water.
• Leave them for half an hour.
• Then wash them under running water. Leave them in clean water for another fifteen minutes.
• Dry them with clean cloth and keep in the refrigerator.
• When you want to eat, take the mango, wash it again with clean water (if possible with warm water) for at least two minutes.
• Peel the skin and enjoy the mango.

Mangoes are not only luscious and mouth watering but also packed with very essential nutrients.

• They are very high in beta-carotene, hence the orange and yellow colour. This is converted into Vit.A by the body, an essential nutrient for healthy eyes.
• These fruits are high in calories so they can provide instant energy.
• One medium sized mango contains 60mg Vit.C which is more than the requirement for a normal adult.
• It contains almost 2mg of Vit.E which is an essential nutrient for the body.
• These fruits are extremely high in fiber. A medium sized fruit can yield 5gm fiber. Also these are soluble fiber which helps controlling blood cholesterol.
• Green mangoes contain an enzyme which makes them an excellent tenderizing agent.
• Flesh of the burnt green raw mangoes can be blended with water and rock salt to get a refreshing drink called AAM PANNA. This drink gives protection against dehydration and sun stroke.

Hope this blog will help you to choose the right mangoes without getting worried about your health.

Just choose the natural and carbide free mangoes and enjoy your summers. For more check the blog on ENJOY YOUR SUMMER and FIGHT THE HEAT WITH GREEN SALAD.

Consultant Nutritionist,

DietVita

www.dietvita.com