Chemical injection technology for ripening jackfruit

To harvest early and sell at a higher price, many jackfruit vendors have used certain chemicals to stimulate ripening. Even though the jackfruit is still unripe, just a few drops of chemicals applied to the fruit will turn the unripe, hard-shelled, and odorless jackfruit into "premium" ripe jackfruit the next day.

Injecting chemicals into jackfruit.

Technology for "forcing" jackfruit to ripen.

The jackfruit season in the northern provinces hasn't started yet, but along the Ho Chi Minh Highway, from Thanh Hoa to Hoa Binh, there are already many jackfruit stalls. According to traders, the jackfruit from the North (locally grown) is not yet ripe. Most of the ripe jackfruit sold along this route is unripe jackfruit that has been injected with Chinese growth stimulants. To clarify this information, we decided to investigate firsthand.

Posing as a trader, I rode my old motorbike to jackfruit selling points to scout for suppliers. We stopped at a jackfruit stall near Cam Thuy district (Thanh Hoa province) to inquire about buying some. At that time, dozens of jackfruits, weighing from 3kg to 10kg, were displayed on the counter. Many long-distance truck drivers and car drivers also stopped to inquire about buying. Some felt the fruit, others tapped it to listen for the sound, and some even bent down close to check for a fragrant smell. The owner, a man named Huy, kept introducing the jackfruit as his own, thorny jackfruit, and guaranteeing its quality.

After chatting for a while, when Huy learned that we intended to buy a large quantity to import to tourist destinations and Hanoi, he invited us into his house and asked his wife to help sell. The house, with its flat roof and L-shaped design, was quite spacious. After a few cups of tea, Huy said that it was the beginning of the season, and jackfruit wasn't abundant yet, so the price was high. Currently, the retail price is 15,000 VND/kg, but if you buy in bulk, the price is 12,000 VND/kg. If you want ripe jackfruit, green jackfruit, or jackfruit that can be cut immediately, just let us know two days in advance so we can prepare; any quantity is available.

We shook our heads, explaining that the current difficulty was transportation. If the jackfruit was ripe, it couldn't be transported far and couldn't be preserved. And if we took green jackfruit, we didn't know when it would ripen, as we lacked experience in the business. Hearing this, Huy burst out laughing and said, "That's right, I lack experience in the business." Then Huy explained: "Nowadays, nobody waits for jackfruit to ripen before harvesting it. If we just waited for it to ripen naturally, everyone would have some, and the price would be very low. So we have to manipulate it to ripen early, at a time we can control."

Seeing my bewildered expression, Huy continued, "That means using ripening agents to make unripe jackfruit ripen. If you use this method, you can ripen jackfruit any day you want." Then Huy led us to the back of the house, where dozens of jackfruit lay scattered on the ground. Pointing to one, Huy asked, "Guess how many days it will take for this one to ripen?" Looking at the jackfruit with its thick, sharp thorns, I tapped it, hearing only a thudding sound, guessing it wasn't ripe yet, and said, "Even if it's fast, it'll take at least 10 days or more." Huy laughed heartily, "I'd say that one will ripen in just 2 days." I shook my head, "What makes you say that? This one is still unripe." Huy continued, "Here, based on this." Then, Huy pulled out a small, finger-sized white bottle of medicine from under the bed, with all the Chinese writing on it. Huy explained that ripening jackfruit naturally takes several days, but for unripe jackfruit, it's impossible to say how long. If we're going to inject chemicals, we'll do it this afternoon, and it'll be ready by tomorrow evening.

To prove his point, Huy explained: "Just add a few drops of this to each jackfruit, and it will ripen completely in just two days. Once you get used to it, you can adjust the dosage to ripen the jackfruit on the desired day. For example, if you want it to ripen quickly, put a few drops in the whole bottle; if you want it to take longer, dilute it." Then, Huy sat down and started working. He cut open the bottle of chemical, then cut the jackfruit stem 2-3cm deep, and added a few drops of the chemical to the stem. After that, he wrapped the stem tightly with plastic wrap. "It'll be ripe by tomorrow night. If you don't believe me, you can mark it and come check tomorrow. If it's wrong, I'll pay you 1 million dong," Huy asserted.

Huy also said that when applying chemicals, one must be careful and wear gloves. If the chemicals fall on the hands, it will burn. Furthermore, the amount of chemicals injected into the jackfruit must be correct. If too much is used, the jackfruit will ripen too quickly and may spoil; if too little is used, the jackfruit will ripen unevenly, becoming bitter and tough. "Before, without chemicals, we had to wait for them to ripen before we could sell them, so the price was low. At one point, it was only 2,000 VND/kg, even a jackfruit as big as a basket could only sell for a little over 20,000 VND. Now, with chemicals, it's less labor-intensive, more convenient, and since we only do it at the beginning of the season, the price is better. Currently, the selling price is 15,000 VND/kg. That means each jackfruit can fetch up to a hundred thousand VND, some even more."

According to Huy, this type is mild; there are even stronger, much more toxic types that he doesn't dare use. Both chemicals are from China and are sold at pesticide stores for 2,000 VND per bottle. When the jackfruit ripens, Huy and his family don't dare eat it because they're afraid of the poison. "It's not just my family; most jackfruit vendors now use this type of chemical. It's not even jackfruit season yet, but there's already so much of it everywhere. If you don't believe me, just take a bottle home and try it," Huy said.

Leaving Huy's house, still posing as traders, we continued to visit other jackfruit shops and inquired about finding buyers. When they learned we were looking for buyers, and that Huy used the same method of artificially ripening jackfruit, the other vendors admitted to using chemicals. Ms. Trang, a jackfruit stall owner on Ho Chi Minh Highway, in Thach Thanh district, Thanh Hoa province, said: "We have to use chemicals to get a good price. In a month, when jackfruit season comes, the price will plummet, and nobody will buy it. Where will the profit come from then?"

This is a type of chemical from China used to ripen jackfruit.

Health hazard

That evening, we conducted the experiment exactly as Huy had instructed. We took an unripe jackfruit, cut off the stem, and dripped a few drops of the chemical onto it. Indeed, after only two days, the unripe jackfruit had ripened. Upon observation, we noticed the rind was firm and bright green, not brown, the thorns were thick, sharp, and hard, and the fruit didn't emit the strong aroma of naturally ripened jackfruit. However, all the segments inside were ripe and yellow. When we took samples of the chemical to pesticide stores, most said it was sold for only 2,000 dong per bottle. They didn't know what kind of chemical it was, only that it ripened fruit.

Previously, there were reports of jackfruit being injected with chemicals to artificially ripen. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development conducted an investigation and discovered that the chemical used to induce ripening was ethaphon. This is a plant growth regulator. In plants, ethephon is metabolized into ethylene, a plant growth regulator that accelerates fruit ripening. Ethephon is commonly used on wheat, coffee, tobacco, cotton, and rice. The investigation also revealed that many people dilute ethephon and dip the fruit into the solution for 3-4 minutes. They then remove the fruit, let it dry, and ripen it early. After 2-7 days, depending on the type, the fruit ripens uniformly, with a beautiful and consistent appearance, and a very low rate of spoilage. In Vietnam, ethaphon is not yet permitted for use in ripening fruit.

Scientific studies on the toxicity of ethephon indicate that it irritates the eyes, causing burning and redness, and directly affects the skin, causing corrosion, swelling, and redness. In cases of ethephon poisoning, victims experience thirst, difficulty swallowing, weakness, vomiting (sometimes with blood), itching in the mouth, throat, or nose; a burning sensation on the skin, and potential permanent eye damage. This substance is not included in the list of permitted food additives according to regulations of the Ministry of Health.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Nhung, Head of the Department of Pesticides, Weeds and Environment, Institute of Plant Protection, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated that most of these pesticides are smuggled from China. Currently, no unit in Vietnam is authorized to produce them, and they are not on the list of chemicals permitted for use in Vietnam, thus they are considered toxic chemicals. According to Ms. Nhung, farmers can currently inject various chemicals belonging to the ethylene or methylene group, primarily ethephon, to stimulate jackfruit ripening. However, the use of these chemicals is very indiscriminate, affecting the health of users.

With the naked eye, consumers cannot distinguish between jackfruit that has been injected with chemicals to ripen it and jackfruit that hasn't. When ripe, the segments are all yellow. Furthermore, identification is difficult because you have to cut the whole fruit open to see the difference. To differentiate, consumers should note that jackfruit injected with chemicals is still sweet, but the outer layer is tough. Some fruits are injected too much, resulting in mushy, rotten flesh. "Naturally ripened jackfruit has a very soft body, the eyes are open, the thorns are less sharp and sparser than when it was green, some overripe fruits may even crack, and it has a very fragrant smell. A jackfruit with sharp, hard, and dense thorns cannot possibly ripen normally."

According to Labor