Potatoes are one of the foods with very high nutritional value, and potato sprouting is also a common problem. Everyone knows that potatoes cannot be eaten when they sprout, but it is a pity to throw them away, so many people are more concerned about the sprouted potatoes. Let’s understand together whether is it ok to eat potatoes that have sprouted?.
Can you eat potatoes when they have sprouted?
If the potatoes germinate and throw them away, that would be a shame, so we can eat them selectively. When the potatoes have just sprouted and the buds are not growing, you can dig out a piece of the potato sprouts, and the rest can still be eaten, because the toxins are still concentrated in the potato sprouts and nearby parts, and the toxins have not yet expanded. Although some of the toxins remain after the above treatments, the potato sprouts and roots should be dug out, peeled, and soaked in water for half an hour before processing and eating. This kind of potato is not suitable for stir-frying, it can be braised, stewed, or boiled. A little vinegar should be added during cooking to help accelerate the destruction of Solanine and prevent solanine from harming the human body.
What are the hazards of eating sprouted potatoes?
Sprouting potatoes contain a large amount of lethal Solanine, which is a weakly alkaline glycoside. It is soluble in water and easily decomposed in acetic acid. It can be detoxified by high heat and boiled thoroughly. Solanine is corrosive, hemolytic, and has a paralyzing effect on the motor center and respiratory center.
Eating a very small amount of Solanine is not harmful to the human body, but if you eat 200-500 mg of Solanine at a time, it may cause poisoning. Therefore, after eating sprouted potatoes, symptoms of food poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and difficulty breathing may occur. After germinated potatoes are processed to remove the buds, there may still be solanine remaining in the green tubers, which can also cause poisoning, so it is not suitable to eat germinated potatoes.
Eating a very small amount of Solanine is not harmful to the human body, but if you eat 200-500 mg of Solanine at a time, it may cause poisoning. Therefore, after eating sprouted potatoes, symptoms of food poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, and difficulty breathing may occur. After germinated potatoes are processed to remove the buds, there may still be solanine remaining in the green tubers, which can also cause poisoning, so it is not suitable to eat germinated potatoes.
How to prevent potatoes from sprouting
- Put it in a straw bag, a sack, or a basket filled with pad paper. Put the potatoes into straw bags, sack bags, or baskets with paper cushions, sprinkle a layer of dry sand on top, and store them in a cool, dry place. Can delay the germination of potatoes.
- Put the immature potatoes together. Put potatoes in old cartons and put a few immature ones in the old cartoons. These potatoes will emit some ethylene gas during the ripening process, which can keep the potatoes fresh for a long time.
- Do not use dense plastic bags when storing. The use of dense plastic bags will not allow air to flow, causing the carbon dioxide exhaled by the potatoes to not be discharged into the air, thereby increasing the temperature around the potatoes and increasing the germination rate.
- Store in the cellar. If conditions permit, you can dig a small cellar to make the temperature appropriate, and ventilate every few days, so that the potatoes can be stored for several months. Putting potatoes in a low temperature, ventilated, dry place, and avoiding sunlight, can extend the storage period of potatoes.
- Avoid light. Avoiding light is the so-called dark place. The first condition for potato germination is light. If it is cut off from the light, the chance of it germinating will become very small.
tips
Solanine is a toxic substance produced after potatoes germinate, turn green, and fester. It is a class of toxic steroidal glycoalkaloids, divided into three types: α, β, and γ. They are highly toxic. Pigs can be poisoned after eating, and humans can cause poisoning if they eat 200 to 500 mg. Potato plants and tubers are mainly composed of α-solanine and Chaconine.
