The Baba oranges that were put on the market early were injected with acid relieving agents, so they can’t be eaten? The truth is…

Recently, Baba oranges have been put on the market. However, a rumor has been circulating online: "It is best not to eat Baba oranges now. This year, fruit farmers have revealed that those put on the market early have been sprayed with deacidifiers. Deacidifiers contain arsenic, commonly known as arsenic trioxide, which is harmful to the human body."

Is this true? Can Babagan still be eaten?

What are acid relieving agents?

There are many different terms for "deacidifiers" on the Internet, including "deacidifiers" and "deacidifying sweeteners".

So what exactly is it? Actually, it is not clear at present, but what can be confirmed is that these things are all "three-no" products. It is precisely because they are "three-no" products that we don't know what they are and what ingredients they contain.

Some local agricultural departments have issued a notice stating that "deacidifiers", "saccharin", "deacidifiers", "deacidifying sweeteners" and other products are all unregistered "three-no" products, and some products may contain arsenate.

Arsenate residues are likely to pose a threat to the environment and human health. In the current food safety management, it is prohibited to use, and both users and providers will be subject to legal sanctions . In particular, the current national food safety supervision is strict. Once investigated, fruit farmers and fruit dealers will bear the corresponding legal responsibilities. Many fruit farmers are also aware of the harm of this thing and generally do not agree to use it.

However, there are no side effects if nutritional supplements are used correctly to sweeten foods , and there is no need to panic or worry too much about the formal practices in agricultural planting.

At present, many fertilizer manufacturers are promoting fertilizers containing phosphorus, potassium and other elements to increase the sweetness of citrus fruits. Such nutrient solutions are formally registered and can be used normally. They are harmless to the trees and will not cause any excessive pesticide residues. Farmers can choose foliar fertilizers, potassium dihydrogen phosphate and the like to increase the sweetness of the fruit. These are all nutrient fertilizers with no toxic side effects. The mechanism of action of using high-phosphorus and high-potassium foliar fertilizers is to improve photosynthesis efficiency, increase photosynthetic products, accelerate the production and conversion of nutrients, and accumulate organic matter.

In general, the tangerines purchased from regular channels are safe to eat, and there is no need to worry too much.

Author: Ruan Guangfeng, Director of the Science and Technology Department of the Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Review｜Han Hongwei, Researcher at the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center