Lychees, with their spiky outer shell and sweet, creamy flesh, are gaining popularity alongside tropical favourites like mangoes, pineapples, and coconuts.
While not a staple like the humble apple, these fruits can be spotted in supermarkets, smoothies, and cocktails when in season. But few may realise that these tasty treats carry a hidden hazard — unripe lychees can be poisonous.
This severe risk came into the spotlight following the chilling deaths of around 100 children in Northern India, which instigated widespread concerns about the fruit’s safety. CNN Health reported cases where children were falling ill with fever, convulsions, and seizures; investigations pointed to toxins in unripe lychees as the probable cause.
A study reported in The Lancet by US and Indian researchers examined 390 patients, with 122 fatalities, and determined a linkage between the consumption of lychees and these tragic losses. This occurred in a region renowned for its extensive lychee cultivation.
Experts uncovered that lychees contain toxins inhibiting glucose production, particularly harmful for young kids suffering from low blood sugar due to malnourishment or eating the fruit on an empty stomach, reports Surrey Live.
Dr Padmini Srikantiah from the CDC office in India, who spearheaded the Muzaffarpur investigation, observed: “Naturally occurring toxins in the lychee fruit are associated with toxicity that led to this encephalopathy.”
“It’s quite possible that when glucose metabolism is disrupted, you get buildup of other metabolites that could have some toxic affects as well,” CNN reported. In a similar vein, Ackee has been prohibited in America since 1973.
When it’s not fully ripe, the fruit contains a poisonous toxin known as hypoglycin A, which can increase the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This can lead to coma or even death.
The seeds of the ackee fruit are highly toxic and should never be consumed. To safely eat an ackee, it must ripen on the tree and be blanched before consumption to lower its toxin levels.
The fruit is considered ripe when its outer shell splits open into three white sections. If the flesh remains yellow, it’s unripe and unsafe to eat.
It’s known to cause “Jamaican vomiting sickness” which can result in coma or even death. However, properly ripened frozen and canned ackee is safe for consumption.