Show 4 DAILY HEALTH HINTS i ANIMALS AID A r IN N Tm TEST OF OF- t L I RIPENED GAS-RIPENED PRODUCE P A I By DR MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the tha American Medical Association and of Hygeia the Health Magazine When it was as dis discovered that ethylene gas used in Industry for aiding the rapid ripening of fruits and vegetables had hac anesthetic properties properties prop prop- it became one of the most popular anesthetics used in American American Amerlean Amer Amer- ican lean surgery replacing to o a considerable consid considerable erable extent the use of or ether chloroform and nitrous oxide oxygen oxygen oxy oxy- gen or laughing gas The attention given to this substance substance substance sub sub- stance caused doubts in the minds of some investigators as to whether or not the rapid ripening of ot fruits and vegetables by this artificial mean would not Interfere seriously serious serious- ly with the content of f vitamins It seemed reasonable able that the development development develop develop- ment of the vit vitamin min might be a n gradual process s associated perhaps with exposure to sunlight or other agencies s available in natural ripen rIpen- ing TESTS WITH CELERY Following this suggestion worker work- work er erd In the University of Maine undertook undertook un un- experiments with ethylene in the ripening of celery Dr M. M F. F Babb t tested sted the celery elery ripened by ethylene as compared with celery ripened In the natural manner 4 The methods of 01 th the modern in in- are of Interest Young rats of the same Utter litter which weighed about the same amount mount were put on a free diet f from vitamin vita vita- mm min B. B It Is known that under such a diet the animals tend to de develop develop de de- symptoms which are definite evidence of vitamin in 15 B starvation These animals were then fed with ethylene ripened celery and with that ripened in the natural manner The results Indicated that artificial ripening with the gas is not injurious ous to the vitamin B content of the celer celery OTHER VEGETABLES As in all aU other scientific experiments experiments ments the results with celery cannot cannot can can- not be taken as a generalization to tobe tobe tobe be applied to the effects of ethylene on all other fr fruits and vegetables Tomatoes are also being artificially ripened by ethylene ethlene and oranges are ara being given a rapid cultivation by iy y exposure to this g gas gS s. s It will be toe worth while whim to discover whether ethylene ripened tomatoes can compare with sun ripened to tomatoes tomatoes to to- matoes in vitamin content and whether or not the oranges are in injured injured In in- In any way by the artificial method Such experiments will have to be made on living animals |