INTRODUCTION:

With the advancement of science and technology, various artificial method of fruit ripening has been observed mostly to meet consumers‟ demand and other economic factors. however in the recent year, artificial fruit ripening has been considered a matter of concern and the effect of artificial ripening has been questionable because of various health related issues.

Direct consumption of acetylene has been found to be detrimental as it reduces oxygen supply to the brain and can further cause prolonged hypoxia.¹

In an investigation in Kenya and India, Fruits adulterated with calcium carbide may also be finding their way to Kenya from other parts of the world as there are no laws governing its use. The pesticide product control board (PPCB), Kenya bureau of standards (kebs), government chemist and Kenya agricultural research institute (KARI) are unable to test for the chemical as they did not have the necessary equipment or protocol.

Some of the mangoes, banana, oranges and apple in the Kenyan market are imported from Tanzania, Uganda, south Africa, Egypt and as a far as India where calcium carbide use is rampant. This raises major public health concerns with the steep rise of cancer cases in the country over the past few years. Cancer is the third killer disease in Kenya. According to the Nairobi cancer registry, 38,544 new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2012 with 26,941 deaths occurring in the same year. It is feared that the number is much higher as many cases are not reported or diagnosed. About 60% of those affected are below 70 years.

Calcium carbide is the chemical used for the production of acetylene gas during gas welding. But now a days this process is widely used by the Indian farmers or the fruit vendors for ripening of many fruits like mango, banana, papaya, plums, chiku, apples, avocados, melons, peaches, pears, and tomatoes, pineapples, dates, persimmons, jujubes etc. are calcium carbide and 2-choloroethyl phosphonic acid- a clear indication that the action of ethylene is general and widespread amongst a number of fruits.

A recent study has revealed that oxytocin, a hormone used to speed up the ripening process of fruits and vegetables, may have adverse long-term effects. According to the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dinesh Trivedi, the drug is known to cause nervous breakdowns, sterility, and other side effects. And using oxytocin in produce is a public health risk!²

Though the demands of the consumers is met to a great extent with the help of these ripening agents, it is important to investigate any possible health hazards that are associated with them. Most of the ripening agents are toxic and their consumption can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, skin disease, lung failure and kidney failure.⁵ Scientists have also reported that regular consumption of artificial-ripened fruits may cause dizziness, weakness, skin ulcer and heart related diseases_5. In addition, these ripening agents may contain different chemicals as impurities which are also toxic for human health. To address the increasing health related concerns, different countries have issued and implemented different acts and laws to control or to prohibit the production, sell and distribution of artificial fruit ripening^.

Calcium Carbide is alkaline in nature and irritates the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region. Cases of stomach upset after eating carbide-ripened mangoes has been reported recently. Even though eating the carbide-ripened fruit does not lead to any allergic reaction instantly, seizure headache, sleepiness may be faced while applying these chemicals on the fruits. Impurities like arsenic and phosphorus found in industrial grade calcium carbide may cause serious health hazards when workers are in direct contact with these chemicals while applying the ripening agents. This may cause dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcer, and so fort. Higher exposure may cause undesired fluid build-up in lungs (pulmonary edema).³ The use of calcium carbide is much widespread in many regions of south Asia including India, Bangladesh, Nepal and so forth for its cheaper market price despite its ban due to its harmful feats.⁴

Researchers from Bangladesh reported that the nutrition values like the protein content, vitamin-C and beta-carotene decrease in artificially ripened Pineapples and Bananas₁; the critical finding was the presence of Arsenic (As) and Lead (Pb) within artificially ripened Pineapples and Bananas. The concentration of As and Pb were within the daily permissible intake limit for an adult, however, regular consumption of such fruits can cause serious health hazards to human beings like cancer, skin irritation, diarrhea, liver disease, kidney disease, gastrointestinal irritation with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cardiac disturbances, central nervous system depression and cardiac abnormalities etc.⁵

Ideally artificial ripening agents release ethylene or acetylene to instigate fruit ripening and should not contain metal or metalloid. But practically industrial grade calcium carbide and ethephon may contain a high percentage of As, Pb and Phosphorus compounds which are toxic for human health and can contaminate artificially ripened fruits. Usage of high grade ripening agents requires low dosing rate and any metal/metalloid contamination must be avoided.⁶

As for carbide gas, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has asked the state authorities to keep a strict vigil on its use for ripening of fruits, prohibited under Rule 44 AA of Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules 1955. Even the circumstantial evidence of presence of calcium carbide in go downs / wooden crates/premises kept together with fruits is treated as evidence for the courts that artificial ripening has been used by the vendor.

Farmers pluck fruits before they ripen naturally and shift them to the markets where these are treated with calcium carbide -- which acts as a hormone stimulator and thereby hastens the ripening process.

Besides ripening agents, farmers also use pesticides and other chemicals to grow fruits and vegetables. Trivedi said that chemicals such as copper sulphates are routinely used to give an artificial lustre to fruits and vegetables.⁷

METHODS AND MATERIALS:

A pre experimental and descriptive evaluatory research approach was used with one group pre-test post-test design on a sample of 60 farmers selected with Non probability convenient sampling technique to evaluate the effectiveness of planned teaching. Prior permission was obtained from the institutional ethical committee. Permission from Gram-panchayat authority of the selected rural area has taken. Informed written consent was taken prior to the study from the study subjects. The subjects were informed their participation was voluntary, and they had freedom to withdraw from the study. The subjects were assured that confidentiality of the information would be maintained. The tool used for data collection was a structured questionnaire which comprised 4 items in demographic data and 30 items on the basis of knowledge regarding chemical ripening, chemical agents, ill health effects, legal provisions, preventive and management of chemical ripening. The content validity of the tool was done by 10 experts (5 Ph. D nursing and 5 social medicine experts). The reliability of tool was established by Spilt Half method. The pre-test was administered to 60 farmers followed by the planned teaching, After 7 (seven) days, post-test was conducted to the subject using the same tool.

RESULTS:

Table 1: Percentage wise distribution of subjects according to their demographic characteristics. (n=60)

Demographic Variables	No. of subjects	Percentage (%)
Age (in years)
a) 30-39 yrs	17	28.3
b) 40-49 yrs	28	46.7
c) 50-59 yrs	15	25.0
Educational status
a) Upto SSC	27	45.0
b) Upto HSC	12	20.0
c) Graduate	21	35.0
Annual Income (Rs)
a) Upto 50000 Rs	8	13.3
b) 50001- 1 lakh Rs	48	80.0
c) >1 lakh Rs	4	6.7
Years of experience as a farmer
a) Upto 10 yrs	13	21.7
b) 11-20 yrs	21	35.0
c) 21-30 yrs	26	43.3

Table no. 2: Distribution of subjects with regard to pre-test knowledge regarding ill health effects of chemical ripening of fruits and vegetables (n=60)

Level of knowledge score	Percentage score	Pre Test
		Frequency	Percentage
Poor	0-25%	5	8.33
Average	26-50%	55	91.67
Good	51-75%	0	0.0
Excellent	76-100%	0	0.0
Mean ± SD		10.66 ± 2.08
Mean Percentage Score		35.55%
Range		6 - 15

Table 3: Distribution of subjects with regard to post -test knowledge regarding ill health effects of chemical ripening of fruits and vegetables (n=60)

Level of knowledge score	Percentage score	Post Test
		Frequency	Percentage
Poor	0-25%	0	0
Average	26-50%	5	8.33
Good	51-75%	46	76.67
Excellent	76-100%	9	15
Mean ± SD		19.70 ± 2.68
Mean Percentage Score		65.66%
Range		13 - 26

Table 4: Significance of difference between pre and post test knowledge scores of subjects in relation to ill health effects of chemical ripening of fruits and vegetables (n=60)

Overall

Mean

Percentage

t-value

p-value

Pre Test

10.66

2.08

35.55

35.91

0.0001*HS

p<0.05

Post Test

19.70

2.68

65.66

*HS- Highly Significant

Table 5: Association of knowledge score regarding ill health effects of chemical ripening of fruits and vegetable in relation to educational status (n=60)

Educational Status	No. of subjects	Mean post test knowledge score	F-value	p-value
Up to SSC	27	19.25±2.50	3.47	0.038 S,p<0.05
Up to HSC	12	18.66±2.74
Graduate	21	20.85±2.57

DISCUSSION:

The first objective of the study, the study result showed that among all subjects, 8.33% of had poor and 91.67% had average level of knowledge score. Mean knowledge score was 10.66±2.08 with a percentage score of 35.55%. The study reported that the result regarding level of knowledge regarding ill health effects of chemical ripening of fruits and vegetables among farmers was poor.

The second objective of the study result showed that in pre-test among all subjects, 8.33% of them had poor and 91.67% had average level of knowledge score and no one had excellent level of knowledge score. In post-test, majority of subjects, 8.33% of the subjects had average, 76.67% had good and 15% had excellent level of knowledge score. The study showed that planned teaching was found to be effective in increasing knowledge of the subjects regarding ill health effects of chemical ripening of fruits and vegetables. To support the above findings there is a study was conducted on carbide ripened fruits-a recent health hazard in faridpur, 2010. In recent times consumption of fruits become extremely hazardous due to artificial ripening of fruits by different toxic chemical agents. Consumption of carbide ripened fruits is extremely hazardous for health, mainly for the nervous system. Acetylene, generated from carbide reduces oxygen supply to the brain. In acute stage, it causes headache, vertigo, dizziness, delirium, seizure and even coma. In the long term, it may produce mood disturbance and loss of memory. Immediately after consumption, there may be abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. It is reported from Lahan Hospital, Nepal that around 30-40 patient are treated there daily for abdominal symptoms Caused by consumption of carbide-ripened mangoes. Other toxic effects include skin burn, allergy, jaundice and carcinogenic potential. Above all, due attention should be given to build awareness among traders and consumers.⁸

A study focusing in the area of organized retail specifically in the convenience stores format in the city of Bangalore and is confined to Grocery, staples and fruits and vegetables business as food contributes to almost 63% in the organized retail business revealed that there are not many integrated supply chain models aligned to consumer preference, though there are models on different components of supply chain and retail.⁹A research an attempt has been made to study the economics of exotic fruits and vegetables in context of Chhattisgarh. ..With advent of multinational hotel chain in Chhattisgarh the demand for the exotic fruits and vegetables are rising, hence farmers can find a local market for these crops which fetches a healthy wholesale price.¹⁰There is a strong association between the intake of fruits and vegetables and the prevention of degenerative diseases due to the presence of antioxidant phytonutrients in them. The findings of a study suggested that all the tested fruits and vegetables are moderate to potential sources of natural antioxidants.¹¹

It was found evidence that natural method of artificial ripening gives beneficial effects without toxicity whereas stress induced or chemically induced artificial ripening leads to changes in active components that may lead to physiological malfunctioning of human beings. It was found that the order of beneficial effect is declined by natural > ethylene > ethrel with sodium hydroxide > methyl jasmonate > ethephon > calcium chloride > ethylene glycol > calcium carbide. This purpose of the study was to showcase the most toxic to least or nil toxic agents and to portray the best acceptable methods of artificial ripening of banana.¹²

Phytochemicals show strong antioxidant activity either alone or in combination form. ß-carotene, lycopene and vitamin C and other phytochemicals present in fruits and vegetables offers beneficial roles in prevention of various diseases The purpose of this review is to provide a general description or awareness of phytochemicals and their role in prevention of many diseases such as- cancer, cardiovascular disorders, eye disorders and hypertension.¹³

Health is one the most vital aspects that is of greater concern to most of the human beings at present days. To keep people healthier they intake a lot of fruits which contains more amount of nutrition and helps them to remain fit. Health benefits are provided with the intake of fruits and people who regularly intake fruits are expected to have minimized risk of chronic diseases. The Nutrients provided by the fruits are vital for proper maintenance of the body. But those fruits nowadays are ripened through some artificial means like usage of chemicals like calcium carbide as ripening agent which might even cause cancer.¹⁴

There are existing laws and guidelines to control artificial fruit ripening process but they have not been successfully implemented in Nigeria and some other countries. There is therefore need for institutional and legislative strengthening as well as enforcement to prevent the use of calcium carbide in the ripening of mangoes and other fruits.¹⁵

SUGGESTIONS:

· Special guidance and counseling programmes shall be initiated for the farmers regarding ill health effects of chemical ripening of fruits and vegetables.

· Regular guidance and counseling programs can be initiated attached to all community centers.

· Female farmers can be included in guidance, counseling and education programmes.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

There were no conflict of interest regarding this investigation.

REFERENCES:

1. Mehnaz Mursalat, et.al. A critical analysis of artificial fruit ripening: scientific, legislative and socio-economic aspects. Department of chemical engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and technology, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh.

2. Kendrick M. The Origin of Fruit Ripening, in Scientific AmericanTM. 2009, Nature America, Inc.: New York. Homepage: www.scientificamerican.com; Retrived: 2 June 2012

3. Fattah, S.A. and M.Y. Ali. Carbide Ripened Fruits – A Recent Health Hazard.

4. Faridpur Medical College Journal. 5(2): p. 37 2010.

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8. Hoque, M.A. Action Against Unscrupulous Fruit Ripeners, in The Financial Express. 2012, International Publications Limited.: Dhaka, Bangladesh. Homepage: www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com; Retrived: 25 November 2012.

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11. Rohan Prasad, A.K. Vishwakarma, Sikha Agrawal. Economics of Cultivation of Exotic Fruits and Vegetables in Chhattisgarh. Research J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 8(1): January - March, 2017, 89-91.

12. Neelam Jain, Shaily Goyal, K. G. Ramawat. Radical Scavenging Activity and Total Phenolic Content in Selected Fruits and Vegetables. Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 5(1): Jan. 2012; Page 121-124.

13. Mouli Chandar. M Anton Smith. A. Artificial Ripening of Banana - An Overview. Research J. Pharm. and Tech. 2019; 12(10):5101-5106.

14. Mahima Chauhan, Vandana Garg, Ghazala Zia, Rohit Dutt. Potential Role of Phytochemicals of Fruits and Vegetables in Human Diet. Research J. Pharm. and Tech 2020; 13(3):1587-1591.

15. Maheswaran S, Sathesh S, Priyadharshini P, Vivek B. Identification of artificially ripened fruits using smart phones. In2017 international conference on intelligent computing and control (I2C2) 2017 Jun 23 (pp. 1-6). IEEE.

16. Andrew GS, Simon UT, John AU, Godwin OO, Alexander NI, Ikagu YM. Studies on changes in some haematological and plasma biochemical parameters in wistar rats fed on diets containing calcium carbide ripened mango fruits. Int J Food Sci Nutr Eng. 2018;8(2):27-36.

Received on 28.01.2023 Modified on 29.03.2023

Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2023; 13(3):179-183.

DOI: 10.52711/2349-2996.2023.00038