After eating lychees sprayed with hydrochloric acid, the digestive tract was burned... Recently, incidents of "makeup fruits" harming people have occurred frequently. Many readers have called to ask how to identify "makeup fruits". We have specially invited Bian Huawei, Deputy Director of the Nutrition Department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, to talk about the skills to identify "makeup fruits". Lychee: Spraying acid to make it fresh
Makeup method: Because lychees have a short shelf life, vendors often buy unripe or even raw lychees that are green in color, soak them in diluted hydrochloric acid, or spray diluted hydrochloric acid on the surface of the lychees. The unripe lychee skin will then become red, tender, and fresh.
Identification tips
Touch: When picking "makeup" lychees, your hand will feel damp and hot, and even a burning sensation.
Smell: Naturally ripened lychees have a faint, natural lychee fragrance. "Makeup" lychees not only have no fragrance, but also smell a bit sour, and even have a chemical odor.
Weight: "Makeup" lychees are heavier than naturally ripened ones.[Chinese Food]
Look: Because fresh lychees have a short shelf life, they generally need to be stored in a low-temperature refrigerator. If you see lychees placed casually in a box by the vendor, covered with a plastic sheet, they are mostly "problem" lychees.
Banana: Spraying chemicals to turn yellow
Makeup method: Bananas that are 70% ripe are coated with a ripening agent containing sulfur dioxide. In one or two days, the bananas turn into high-quality, yellow, and fresh fruit. Alternatively, formaldehyde gas is injected into the boxes containing the bananas, and in a few days, the banana peels will turn yellow.
Identification tips
Look: Ripened bananas generally do not have the sign of a fully ripe banana—"the plum blossom spot." Therefore, when picking bananas, bananas with "plum blossom spots" are relatively safe.
Smell: Bananas ripened with chemicals smell like chemicals.
Taste: Naturally ripened bananas ripen evenly; not only does the peel turn yellow, but the core is soft. Ripened bananas, on the other hand, have a hard core.
Orange: Coloring to turn red
Makeup method: Oranges with mold spots are cleaned, dried, and then waxed and colored with paraffin. This way, the oranges, which originally had mold spots and a dull appearance, instantly become red and shiny. After being labeled as imported oranges, they become "imported" oranges.
Identification tips
Look: Imported oranges have more lenticels on their peel, which feel rougher to the touch. Fake imported oranges have fewer lenticels on the surface and feel relatively smoother.
Wipe: When you wipe a fake imported orange with a paper towel, the paper will turn red because fake imported oranges have pigment added during processing.
Watermelon: Injecting to make it sweet
Makeup method: Injecting a solution of pigment and saccharin into semi-ripe watermelons from the stem end. The pulp will be dyed red and will taste very sweet.
Identification tips
Pat: When tapped, a watermelon that has been injected will produce a "dull" and not crisp sound.
Look: The seeds of a naturally ripe watermelon are black and full. The seeds of a watermelon that has been injected are generally small and white.
Taste: Although injected watermelons are very sweet, the sweetness is uneven. The area near the stem is often very sweet, while the area far from the stem is much less sweet.