Introduction: Fruit-expanding agent is a plant hormone that can stimulate cell division. If used improperly, the watermelon cannot withstand the expansion and will explode.
More than 100 mu of watermelons near Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, exploded before they were ripe. Villagers claimed that the watermelons were treated with a "fruit-expanding and sweetening agent" before exploding, suspecting that the improper timing of the application caused the watermelons to burst.
Watermelons can sometimes crack due to variety and fertilization and watering factors. "However, the bursting watermelons in Jiangsu were mainly caused by the improper use of fruit-expanding agents," said Sun Shuxia, chairman of the Nutrition and Safety Professional Committee of the China Health Care Association. Fruit-expanding agent is a plant hormone that can stimulate cell division. If used improperly, the watermelon cannot withstand the expansion and will explode.
Sun Shuxia said that "watermelons treated with expanding agents" can be identified using a three-step method: "Look, Taste, and Store."
Look: The most significant characteristic of watermelons treated with a fruit-expanding agent is their large size. It's not the peak season for watermelon maturity, so normal watermelons are usually around 4 kilograms. However, watermelons treated with expanding agents can even reach over ten kilograms. Naturally ripened watermelons have black, full seeds, whereas in treated watermelons, the rind may be red, but the seeds are still white and underdeveloped due to insufficient accumulated temperature.
Taste: When buying fruit, it's best to taste it before purchasing. Normally ripened melons have a sweetness level above 8 degrees and a great texture. Watermelons treated with expanding agents have a bland taste, are not very sweet, and have a coarse, not crisp, texture without the fresh aroma of a watermelon.
Store: Normal watermelons can generally be stored for more than a week. In contrast, watermelons treated with expanding agents start to rot and spoil after two or three days. This is because the hormones continue to promote ripening, making the watermelons less suitable for storage.
Sun Shuxia reminds that fruits that are brought to market early, with a beautiful color and large size, are likely to have been treated with hormones.