The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation has debunked a video circulating on social media claiming that tomatoes in markets had been sprayed with the growth regulator “Ethrel” to accelerate ripening and color the fruit’s exterior.
In an official statement, the ministry explained that the white color in tomatoes is due to several reasons, including high temperatures during ripening (a condition known as heat stress), which affects the formation of the lycopene pigment responsible for the red color of tomatoes.
Other causes include a lack of potassium and calcium fertilization, or an excess of nitrogen fertilization.
The ministry stressed that these factors, individually or in combination, can cause white coloration in tomatoes, and assured that it has nothing to do with spraying the fruits with any substances.
It further assured that eating tomatoes exposed to these conditions are entirely safe.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation called on media outlets and social media users to exercise caution when sharing news, and to only obtain information from official sources to prevent confusion.
