Green Potatoes, Is It Safe to Eat?

Potatoes, which are delicious in summer, are a food rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.

It is also highly versatile and is used as a variety of cooking ingredients. When preparing potatoes,

Sometimes you will find that the outside has turned green.

I'm worried about whether it's okay to eat potatoes at times like this. Is that okay?

 

Potatoes usually turn green when exposed to sunlight for a long period of time due to chlorophyll synthesis.

 

This phenomenon of potatoes turning green is called 'greening'.

Potatoes are a crop that grows from an enlarged underground stem, and this stem grows when it is underground.

It forms potatoes, but when exposed to sunlight, it turns into a stem without forming potatoes.

 

It is due to the chlorophyll synthesis process. Even if it is not sunlight, it is illuminated.

Potatoes will turn green even if they are roasted for a long time.

This is also why potatoes are covered with newspaper at supermarkets and markets.

Greening usually occurs immediately after harvest or during storage or distribution.

The problem is that when potatoes are green, the content of the toxic substance solanine increases.

In particular, the glycoalkaloid substance of solanine causes a pungent taste.

The degree of irritation varies depending on the degree of recording progress, but high concentrations of glycol alkaloids can cause nausea,

It can even cause allergic reactions. National Institute of Crop Science

According to the ‘Washed Potato Packaging Technology to Reduce Greening and Spoilage’, the glycoalkaloid component

In small amounts (less than 15 mg/100 g FW), it exhibits the characteristic potato aroma and bitter taste.

At high concentrations, it can lead to nausea, coma, and even death.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration strictly limits glycoalkaloid content to less than 20 mg/100 g FW.

 

The same goes for sprouted potatoes.

It has been reported that sprouted and discolored potatoes have more than 10 times more solanine than regular potatoes.

 

If your potatoes have turned green or have sprouted, it is safer not to eat them.

 

Solanine is heat-resistant and does not easily disappear even after cutting off discolored parts or sprouts and cooking them in hot water.

 

When storing potatoes, avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight or light.

After purchasing potatoes, you can store them for a long time without them spoiling by storing them in black bags, newspapers, or boxes.

The ideal storage temperature is 7 to 10 degrees Celsius, and when stored at room temperature above 10 degrees Celsius, do not store for more than a week.