In the market, deformed fruits and vegetables are not uncommon, such as conjoined tomatoes, bell peppers larger than a fist, long and wide flat beans, large and red conjoined strawberries, and oddly shaped watermelons. There are reasons for the strange appearance of fruits and vegetables. According to Zhang Zhenhe, a researcher from the Agricultural Technology Extension Service Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, it is best not to eat fruits and vegetables with abnormal shapes.
According to Zhang Zhenhe, the main reasons for the deformation of fruits and vegetables include unbalanced nutrition, deficiency of trace elements, and improper use of hormones. Nowadays, many farmers cultivate fruits and vegetables in greenhouses and plastic sheds. These fruits and vegetables can become deformed due to calcium deficiency caused by low temperature, dryness, and excessive spraying of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. The fertilizers used in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables are now mainly chemical fertilizers, which can easily lead to a deficiency of trace elements such as sulfur in fruits and vegetables, resulting in a rough surface.
In addition, to get fruits and vegetables to market early, some farmers treat them with hormones. The color of ripened fruits is often abnormal, and when cut open, cavities and inconsistent colors can be found inside. The main reason is the excessive use of growth hormones, which causes the fruit to become overly large while the nutrient supply is insufficient. As a result, cavities form inside the fruit.
Pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, and other substances are widely used in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables and can cause harm to the human body. After consuming food with high pesticide residues, people may experience short-term symptoms such as fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors, and palpitations. In severe cases, symptoms may include generalized convulsions, coma, heart failure, and even death. If pesticides accumulate in the human body over a long period, they can have teratogenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic effects. Relevant experts believe that the occurrence of diseases such as Parkinson's disease, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes is related to long-term exposure to the aforementioned substances or the consumption of food with high pesticide residues.