All potatoes contain natural toxins called glycoalkaloids: solanine and chaconine. These chemicals are present in small amounts and do not pose a major hazard. However, when the potatoes begin to sprout, the level of glycoalkaloids increases.
Sprouted potatoes. PHOTO diabet-si-nutritie.ro
Eating sprouted potatoes can lead to ingesting an excessive amount of these chemicals.
“Potatoes normally contain a toxic glycoalkaloid, which we usually find somewhere around 10 mg per 100 g of product. It can reach, for some varieties, even 30 mg. This alkaloid, when crushed, can exceed the value of 100 mg per 100 g, becoming too toxic for the body. Therefore, sprouted potatoes should not be eaten. Similarly, potatoes that are in the green zone pose a risk for consumption“, says Alexandru Cîrîc, director of the Food Research Institute.
If the potatoes have sprouted they should be thrown away. Buds are a sign that those potatoes contain higher levels of toxins. The chlorophyll that causes them to turn green is not dangerous, but indicates increased toxin levels.
One of the things we should avoid is keeping potatoes in the sun. According to specialists, they produce a substance called solanine, which is toxic to the body. Solanine is produced by potatoes to defend themselves against insects and diseases.
“When the potatoes are exposed to the sun, the concentration of solanine in them increases. Consequently, eating potatoes that have been in the sun can lead to food poisoning. That is why they are kept in cellars, in dark and cool places”, says Costel Vânătoru, director of the Plant Genetic Resources Bank in Buzău.
Symptoms of solanine poisoning include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, weakness, breathing problems, and in severe cases, even death.
It is good that when we take the potatoes out of the ground, we store them directly in the barrels, in the dark, for bleaching, as it was said in the past, to remove the amount of solanine in them.
Lungulețu potatoes. PHOTO Vegetable Pool Lunguletu Commune / Facebook
Symptoms of poisoning can appear after a few hours or even a day after eating sprouted potatoes. Although the effects are usually mild, they can include: vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, low blood pressure, fast pulse, fever, headache, disorientation.
