Bananas are loaded with vitamins and other nutrients that are essential for the growth and development of the human body.
However, a potentially harmful compound believed to have carcinogenic properties is being used to ripen bananas by unscrupulous businessmen and shady market traders looking to make quick money.
These bananas are forced to ripen by dipping them in water mixed with Carbide which uniformly ripens the bananas making them desirable to customers.The consumption of these chemically ripened bananas has been proved to cause cancer.
Naturally ripened bananas are dark yellow, have small black spots here and there, and the stalks are black.
Those which are forced to ripen with Carbide are lemon yellow and their stalks are green. Moreover, they are clear yellow without any black spots.
According to Dr. Daniel Sila, a Food Science and Technology lecturer at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT),
"The chemical contains arsenic and phosphorous impurities which can cause other serious complications including miscarriages in pregnant women, liver and kidney damage".
One of the tell-tale signs of chemical ripening is when you find an unblemished banana with green raw tissue inside.If the stem is dark green but the fruit is yellow, chances are high that it is artificially ripened.
Experts have advised that you should always wash and peel fruits before eating to reduce the chemical content on the skin.
More so, you should avoid buying fruits with these eye-catching uniform colors.
Instead of consuming fruits directly, experts advise that you should cut them into pieces.
Furthermore, avoid buying fruits which are off-season as they are more likely to have been artificially ripened or preserved.
