Jackfruit Consumption Triggers False Alcohol Tests in Kerala, Drivers Warned

A surprising case from Kerala has triggered concern among drivers and transport authorities after jackfruit consumption led to false positives in breathalyzer tests. Three KSRTC bus drivers at the Pandalam depot in Pathanamthitta district tested positive for alcohol during routine checks—despite not consuming any alcohol.

Also Read: Ripe jackfruit tricks breathalyser, nearly lands Kerala bus drivers in trouble

The incident came to light when daily pre-duty breath tests showed around 10% alcohol content in the breath samples of the drivers. Confused officials dug deeper and found a common factor: all three had eaten ripe jackfruit just before the test.

To confirm this, authorities asked another driver who had tested negative to eat jackfruit. Shortly after, his breathalyzer test also returned a positive result. Experts say that ripe jackfruit can naturally contain ethanol—an alcohol produced during the fermentation of the sugars in overripe fruit.

Ayurveda expert Dr. Sharad Kulkarni confirmed that while fresh jackfruit has little to no alcohol content, overripe jackfruit can contain between 7% to 10% ethanol. This fermented content can trigger positive results in alcohol breath tests—even without actual alcohol consumption.

The incident has now raised alarms for drivers and traffic enforcement teams across the country.