Are sprouted potatoes and green potatoes still edible? See what the experts say

Potatoes are also called potatoes, yams or ground eggs. Potato is its common name in countries around the world. Potatoes are not actually "earth" because they are loved by people all over the world!

Potatoes belong to the Solanaceae plant, fresh potatoes are about 76% water, 2% protein, and 21% carbohydrates. Although the potato is very common, it is a favorite food of people all over the world. It is the protagonist of the table in Western countries. Especially in Germany. It is called "underground apple" in the French, and it is also used as a "underground apple" in the European and American people. "Second Bread". The nutritional value of potatoes is enough to make people admire, its nutritional content is comprehensive, the structure is reasonable, and the fat is low, the calories are low, and the protein in it is very high-quality.

As an ingredient often eaten by Chinese residents in daily life, it is loved by the elderly and children because of its high quality, low price, rich nutrition and delicious taste. Moreover, potatoes are also various and durable, not as difficult to store as green leafy vegetables. It can be cooked with a lot of ingredients, so many people will buy more when they buy it. It doesn’t matter if you leave it for ten days and a half, but sometimes if you don’t pay attention to improper storage, you find that the purchased potatoes are damp and sprouted or turn green, we can still Continue to eat? Let's see what the experts have to say.

Are potatoes still edible when they sprout or turn green?

When potatoes are placed in a hot and humid environment, not only their taste will become poor, their nutritional value will be reduced, but they will also germinate and turn green. The eye of the bud or the green skin contains a poisonous substance called solanine.

Solanine is a neurotoxin. When potatoes are stored for 20 days at 25 degrees Celsius without light, the content of solanine can increase from 3 mg/100 g to 222 mg/100 g, an increase of nearly 70 times. , If there is light, the content can be doubled. If the content of solanine exceeds 20 mg/100 grams, it will cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms. In severe cases, it will cause convulsions, coma and even life-threatening!

Therefore, I would like to remind everyone not to eat those sprouted and green potatoes because of saving or reluctance to throw them away, because solanine is highly toxic, which can inhibit the activity of cholinease and cause the human body to accumulate a large amount of acetylcholine. As a result, our nerves are overexcited, causing various discomforts in the body. Since potatoes are not a luxury, let's not take the risk.

Will I be poisoned if I eat sprouted green potatoes?

First of all, the potato skin turns green; after it turns green or germinates, the content of solanine begins to rise, and the content is not high at the beginning. As long as there is no bitter taste, it is not a problem to eat a little less.

Secondly, the content of solanine is the highest in the buds, skins and around the eyes of the buds, and the outer skin contains 30% to 80%. When we eat potatoes, peeling the skin will greatly reduce the intake. Solanine is soluble in water and soaked in water for more than half an hour. Most can be removed. In addition, whether it will be poisoned depends on how much you eat. When the content of solanine in potatoes exceeds 200 mg/1000 grams, the taste will become bitter and very unpalatable, and most people will not eat it at all.

Finally, solanine is an alkaloid, which is afraid of heat and acid. In our daily life, we usually eat potatoes by frying, boiling, frying, etc. Most of solanine will be decomposed after high temperature. OK, so don't worry too much.

Summarize

Therefore, I remind everyone that when buying potatoes, try to choose fresh potatoes with uniform color. Don’t buy too many at a time. After purchasing, try to store them in a dry, ventilated and cool environment. Drying is especially important. If the weather is humid and hot in summer, you can also Seal it with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator to prolong the storage time.

references:

[1] Lu Yuzhuo. Can green and sprouted potatoes still be eaten? [J]. Food and Health, 2018.

[2] Xu Jili. Sprouted potatoes cannot be eaten [J]. Reading, 2018(86):1.

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