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MY PAPER WEDNESDAY JULY 9, 2008
DARYLL NANAYAKARA
IS IT an apple or a guava? The mystery behind a fruit being sold at a supermarket in the east has been solved.
Dr Eng Chon Boon, 32, a molecular biologist with the National University of Singapore (NUS), spotted the queer-looking fruit – which resembles an apple – at a Sheng Siong outlet in Haig Road on Monday morning.
He said the fruit was labelled “Sweet Thailand Guava”. Puzzled by the origins and possible health hazards of the fruit, Dr Eng snapped a few pictures of it and e-mailed them to citizen journalism website Stomp.
The fruit in question is actually preserved guava.
However, unlike preserved guava sold in packets, this one is peeled, sculpted and coloured to resemble an apple. It is being sold at $3 for a pack of two fruits.
Dr Eng, who is a cancer researcher at the university, had also seen the fruit last May when he was at a night market in Kuala Lumpur.
He said: “There they were being sold as ‘guava-apples’ and it was quite tasty.”
He and his wife sampled a few bites of the fruit, which were priced at RM6 (S$2.51) for a pair, before buying a pack.
However, upon reaching home, his wife discovered that the “guava- apples” were, in fact, normal guavas which had been shaped and coloured to look like apples.
Dr Eng added that the colouring washed off when his wife rinsed the fruits under the tap.
Dr Eng decided to write in to Stomp after he saw that it is also being sold in Singapore as he is worried about the safety of the dyes used.
A check with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) showed that the product is safe for consumption.
It explained that the colourings used – Brilliant Blue and Tartrazine – are both permitted food dyes.
A spokesman for Sheng Siong said that the company which supplied them the product had obtained “clearance from AVA in writing” to sell the fruits in Singapore.
darylldj@sph.com.sg
MY PAPER WEDNESDAY JULY 9, 2008
DARYLL NANAYAKARA
IS IT an apple or a guava? The mystery behind a fruit being sold at a supermarket in the east has been solved.
Dr Eng Chon Boon, 32, a molecular biologist with the National University of Singapore (NUS), spotted the queer-looking fruit – which resembles an apple – at a Sheng Siong outlet in Haig Road on Monday morning.
He said the fruit was labelled “Sweet Thailand Guava”. Puzzled by the origins and possible health hazards of the fruit, Dr Eng snapped a few pictures of it and e-mailed them to citizen journalism website Stomp.
The fruit in question is actually preserved guava.
However, unlike preserved guava sold in packets, this one is peeled, sculpted and coloured to resemble an apple. It is being sold at $3 for a pack of two fruits.
Dr Eng, who is a cancer researcher at the university, had also seen the fruit last May when he was at a night market in Kuala Lumpur.
He said: “There they were being sold as ‘guava-apples’ and it was quite tasty.”
He and his wife sampled a few bites of the fruit, which were priced at RM6 (S$2.51) for a pair, before buying a pack.
However, upon reaching home, his wife discovered that the “guava- apples” were, in fact, normal guavas which had been shaped and coloured to look like apples.
Dr Eng added that the colouring washed off when his wife rinsed the fruits under the tap.
Dr Eng decided to write in to Stomp after he saw that it is also being sold in Singapore as he is worried about the safety of the dyes used.
A check with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) showed that the product is safe for consumption.
It explained that the colourings used – Brilliant Blue and Tartrazine – are both permitted food dyes.
A spokesman for Sheng Siong said that the company which supplied them the product had obtained “clearance from AVA in writing” to sell the fruits in Singapore.
darylldj@sph.com.sg
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