Cairo: The Cabinet's Media Center has denied circulating claims that tomatoes in local markets are being sprayed with the chemical 'Ethephon' to accelerate ripening and coloring, allegedly leading to kidney failure.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the center stated it had contacted the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, which confirmed that the video in question is outdated and that such allegations have been previously denied, stressing that the claims are baseless.

The Ministry explained that the appearance of white areas inside tomatoes is due to natural factors, including heat stress and temperature fluctuations during the ripening stage, which affect the formation of lycopene-the pigment responsible for the fruit's red color.

It added that other factors, such as imbalanced fertilization-either a shortage of potassium or calcium, or excessive nitrogen-may also contribute to this phenomenon.

The ministry emphasized that these causes are unrelated to any chemical spraying and affirmed that consuming such tomatoes is safe and poses no health risks.

The media center urged social media users to verify information through official sources and avoid spreading misinformation.