Using 'strange medicine', fruits imported from China to Vietnam have green moldy seeds but the skin is still fresh

Under the effect of the drug, after only 2 days the bananas incubated in the bag were evenly ripe. If not controlled, the impurities in the drug are neurotoxic substances.

Green moldy fruit but the skin is still fresh and delicious

Fruits imported from the border to Vietnam are flooding the market at a price of only 1/5, or even 1/10, of the fruit in supermarkets, with clear origins. Everyone knows this, but consumers still turn a blind eye because they don't know where to look.

To keep fruits fresh for months while the insides and seeds are moldy, traders must use preservatives. Meanwhile, there are thousands of types of preservatives on the market today, which is unfathomable.

The seeded apples were green with mold but the skin was still fresh.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Xuan Da said that the situation of Chinese fruits and vegetables suspected of containing toxic preservatives has been around for a long time. Authorities have taken samples for testing many times but have not discovered anything unusual because they do not have enough means and basis to read the names of those chemicals. Currently, there are up to 2,000 plant protection and fruit and vegetable preservation chemicals in use, but domestic laboratories only have test substances and identification methods for about 600 types.

Among fruits and vegetables imported from China, apples are one of the most worrying for consumers. Chinese apples are “beautiful in appearance”, crunchy and sweet, but are the most obscure fruit in terms of quality. Many people who have bought this poor quality apple said, “Many fruits when cut open have moldy or rotten seeds, while the outer skin is still smooth and the inside is crispy and fresh.”

Strange chemicals used to make fruit vinegar are still being bought and used by Vietnamese traders, regardless of profit, which means that not only the interests but also the health of consumers are being threatened. Because fruits soaked in high concentrations of chemicals, preserved for many days, not only lose nutrients but also contain many toxins that cause cancer.

What kind of medicine is being 'magically' created?

The Plant Protection Department - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development once discovered a pear sample imported from China containing residues of the pesticide Endosulfan. This is the 22nd toxic chemical on the United Nations' list of chemicals that need to be eliminated globally because of its high toxicity, which can disrupt the endocrine system or affect the human reproductive organs.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Xuan Da - Director of the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene also admitted: "For the experiment, I bought Chinese pears to keep in my office, and they have not spoiled after more than 5 months. However, it is very difficult to test what substance was used to preserve this pear so that it remains fresh, because the equipment is still outdated and there are many substances that cannot be detected."

Photo cut from ANTV video.

Through research, the traders said that by simply using a strange medicine soaked in fruit, the fruit can both ripen evenly and preserve it for many days. This medicine is in liquid form and is contained in a white plastic bottle, with many Chinese characters and warnings of danger printed on the bottle.

The method is quite simple, just mix the solution into water, drop the green fruit into the mixture for a while then take it out and put it in the basket, after one or two days the fruit will ripen and turn yellow.

This is a chemical called ethephon. This substance has the ability to stimulate growth and ripen fruit quickly, but does not actually cause much harm to the health of the user.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Hong Con - Faculty of Chemistry, University of Natural Sciences - VNU said: "Ethephon is a derivative of phosphoric acid. According to FBA, ethephon is non-toxic."

Under the effect of the drug, after only two days, the bananas incubated in the bag were evenly ripened. Although ethephon itself is safe, it is very difficult to control the amount of residual impurities in floating drugs that have not been tested.

Associate Professor Tran Hong Con added: "If not controlled, impurities in drugs are toxic substances, causing neurotoxicity."

The situation of poor quality fruits, treated with chemicals, is still rampant in the market, making consumers confused about what to buy and what to eat today. These fruits are even mixed with 'genuine' fruits, so sometimes consumers still 'lose money', losing real money buying fake products.

According to Dantri