Pears: Growth hormones to accelerate ripening
Growth hormones and expanding agents are used to accelerate ripening, followed by bleaching powder and colorants (such as lemon yellow) for whitening and dyeing. The treated pears have little juice and a bland taste, sometimes accompanied by off-flavors and a rotten smell. These toxic pears have a short shelf life and spoil easily.
Apples: Coloring agents to enhance redness
Expanding agents are used to increase size, and coloring agents to enhance redness, with preservatives to extend freshness. Excessive use of expanding agents, coloring agents, and preservatives can damage the liver. Retailers may also apply industrial wax to apples to retain moisture and make them look fresh and appealing.
Watermelons: Expanding agents to increase size
Excessive use of ripening agents, expanding agents, and highly toxic pesticides. The stripes on such watermelons are uneven, the flesh inside may appear fresh, but the seeds are white and there is an off-flavor.
Grapes: Ethylene to turn purple
Immature green grapes are soaked in a diluted solution of ethephon. After a day or two, they turn purple. These grapes have uneven coloration, low sugar content, little juice, and a bland taste. Long-term consumption is harmful to human health.
Mangoes: Quick ripening with quicklime
Green mangoes are ripened with quicklime to give them a vibrant yellow appearance, but they lack the typical mango flavor. There is also the issue of excessive use of preservatives.
Peaches: Soaked in industrial citric acid
Juicy peaches are soaked in industrial citric acid to make them bright red and less prone to rot. The chemical residues can damage the nervous system, trigger allergic diseases, and even be carcinogenic. For semi-ripe crisp peaches, alum, sweeteners, and alcohol are added to make them crisp and sweet. The main component of alum is aluminum sulfate, and long-term consumption can lead to bone hyperplasia, memory loss, dementia, decreased skin elasticity, and more wrinkles. White peaches are often fumigated with sulfur, leaving sulfur dioxide residues.
Longans: Sprayed with sulfur for a vibrant color
Sprayed with sulfuric acid or soaked in acidic solutions to enhance their color. Sulfuric acid is highly corrosive and can burn the digestive tract. It can also easily trigger colds, diarrhea, and severe coughing.
Lychees: Color-changed with sulfuric acid
Soaked in sulfuric acid solution or sprayed with ethephon solution to change their color to a bright, attractive red, but they spoil easily. These acidic solutions can cause peeling of the skin, blisters in the mouth, and burns to the stomach and intestines. Some vendors also fumigate lychees with sulfur, and sulfur dioxide strongly irritates the eyes and throat, causing dizziness, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Sulfur dioxide is also carcinogenic.
Bananas: Ripened with ammonia water
Ripened with ammonia water or sulfur dioxide. These bananas have a bright, attractive yellow peel, but the flesh is firm and not sweet. Sulfur dioxide damages the human nervous system and affects liver and kidney function.
Persimmons: Ripened with yeast
Raw persimmons are ripened with yeast or ripening agents, but their sweetness is significantly reduced. Some farmers also apply a chemical called "a shi ling" to the calyx to make it turn red. These chemical agents leave residues, making the persimmons toxic.