Ethephon fruit ripening is safe for human health

Many types of agricultural products are applied to dilute chemical solutions, green fruits will ripen within 1-2 days, many times faster than natural ripening. So what is that chemical solution, does it affect human health?

The true origin of ripe chemicals

In recent years, the image of many agricultural products embedded in water is said to be chemicals and the word "embedded" has become an obsession for consumers.

According to the research of press agencies and scientists in the country, the ripe fruit chemical that ranchers and traders often use is ethephon , also called the trade name ethrel.

Ethephon has a scientific name: 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (C2H 6ClO3P), discovered in 1965 and first registered in the United States in 1973.

This plant growth regulator is widely used on cotton, wheat, coffee, pineapple, grapes, apples and many other fruits.

Soak bananas in chemical water to finish ripening (Artwork).

What did Ethephon do to ripen the fruit?

Normally, fruits such as bananas, apples, pears, jackfruit . need to have a substance: ethylene - substances that are considered as "aging" hormones in plants.

Ethylene will be responsible for the " change of meat " in fruits when ripe: make the fruit soft, change color .

Ethephon works on this mechanism. After seeping into the fruit, ethephon will be broken down to ethylene, thereby accelerating the rapid ripening of fruits. The more ethylene produced, the faster the fruit ripens.

Does Ethephon cause any harm?

Listening to eating a chemical-soaked food, many people cannot help but falter. Are these chemicals toxic to the body? There are even opinions that it can cause cancer.

However, according to the professor, Dr. Nguyen Quang Thach, Chairman of the Science Council of the Institute of Agricultural Biology, has long been widely used in the cultivation industry both in and after the harvest. Plan to stimulate uniformity and uniformity of fruits, facilitating post-harvest technology.

20 years ago, the State also carried out the project "Transfer trial production and application of Ethephon products from the Russian Federation into Vietnam".

Scientific doctor Tran Hanh Phuc, Institute of Tropical Biology, chairman of the State-level Project "Ethephon Experimental Production" also affirmed that all current off-season and long-term products are brought by Ethephon . The export of fruits like mangoes and jackfruit is also thanks to Ethephon. Ethephon is also used in processing industries of all countries and has brought great value to the commodity industry.

Many countries in the world such as the US, Canada, Italy, Chile, Australia, . have granted permission to use ethephon as a legal fruit ripening agent in agriculture.

All of the current off-season products are brought by Ethephon.

Modern agricultural development is indispensable for applications of biotechnology . In the agricultural product processing industry, no one can wait for each ripe fruit before putting it into production, especially the hard-to-ripen fruits like jackfruit, durian and banana.

The amount of substance used in plants will quickly be transformed into non-toxic products such as phosphate, ethylene, and chloride, or evaporate completely during fruit transport.

Dr. Nguyen Dang Nghia, director of the Center for Tropical Agriculture Research and Consultancy also affirmed that Ethephon is not harmful if used in the right amount, in the right time, using branded products, origin Made clear.

Accordingly, Ethephon should not be used to ripen fruit too quickly. Specifically, instead of ripening for 1 day, farmers should use the dosage for the ripening process in 3-4 days. At the same time, this preparation can also be easily removed by washing, so consumers can be assured.

According to Dr. Nguyen Van Phong, Institute of Southern Fruit, Ethephon's cause is misinterpreted as the floating chemicals smuggled from China with self-adhesive labels also recorded ripening fruits.

On the other hand, some businesses are unhealthy, do not properly record the proper function of Ethephon, they mix with many other advertising chemicals that can be used in many purposes from fertilizer, fruit ripening vinegar. . for the purpose of selling only our products.

Therefore, Dr. Nguyen Van Phong asked authorities to strictly manage products containing Ethephon in biological chemicals used in agriculture.