Green potatoes: can you eat them and why do they turn green?

Notice: Undefined variable: css_h in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/vote2x/vote.php on line 100 Notice: Undefined variable: css_padding in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika. com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/vote2x/vote.php on line 100 Notice: Undefined variable: css_opacity in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/vote2x/vote.php on line 101 Notice: Undefined index: prodachnika_comvote2x9560 in /home/g/grigorig/prodachnika.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/vote2x/vote.php on line 118 Potatoes are a product without which it is impossible to imagine almost any dish. It is in every home. This root vegetable will never go out of fashion and will always be in demand. But what to do if everyone’s favorite vegetable turns green?

Green potatoes - can you eat them?

What makes potatoes turn green? The reason for the greening of the tuber is a natural process. When sunlight hits potatoes, the process of photosynthesis occurs and because of this, the color of this product changes.

It is not advisable to eat such potatoes. Can green potatoes be eaten if cut? Even if you cut off the skin in a thick layer, the green tuber is harmful to health.

Are green potatoes dangerous for your health? Potatoes contain the poison solanine. Its content does not exceed 0.05%. But if the tuber is exposed to sunlight, ultraviolet or infrared rays, then the content rate begins to increase. Therefore, green potatoes are not suitable for eating.

However! Solanine is a harmful substance, but it also has its beneficial properties. Raw potato juice is very healthy if it has minimal solanine content. This drink cannot be stored; it must be used fresh immediately. The juice is useful for stomach diseases, gastritis, ulcers, vascular disease and colds. This product should be consumed half an hour before meals three times a day, 1/3 cup.

What is the reason for the appearance of greenery on potatoes?

Potatoes are plants that can independently reproduce new fruits. An important role in this process is played by sunlight, under the influence of which all green parts of the crop trigger the process of photosynthesis. It is this that contributes to the change in color of the tuber, saturation of the color of the leaves and stem zone. Why this happens with the above-ground parts is clear without further explanation, but the greening of potatoes in the ground is not always explainable.

In the latter case, we are talking mainly about tubers planted too close to the surface of the soil, or those that were stored for some time in direct sunlight.

Why are the potatoes turning green in the cellar?

The root vegetable, namely under the skin, contains chlorophyll. And when the rays hit it, photosynthesis occurs. Chlorophyll is found in all plants, and some root vegetables turn purple. When potatoes are underground, they do not turn green simply because sunlight does not reach there.

If the potatoes turn green in the cellar, it means they were stored incorrectly. This product should be placed in light-proof bags and not in nets or various boxes. Do electric light turn potatoes green? Yes, electric light also turns potatoes green.

How to store so that the tubers do not turn green?

The main conditions for proper storage of potatoes are good darkness, regular ventilation, and acceptable temperature. Only by maintaining comfortable conditions can you prevent the appearance of a green tint.

These include:

temperature indicators from 2 to 5°C;
ensuring air humidity, ideally between 85 and 90%;
eliminating the possibility of exposure to light;
use of lightproof bags;
regular ventilation of the room.

Only if you organize the storage of products in compliance with the specified recommendations, will they not deteriorate ahead of time. And the potatoes will not acquire a green tint, and with it, the levels of solanine in it will go off scale.

What happens if you eat green potatoes?

Of course, if you eat one potato, nothing will happen. But eating in large quantities, or in any quantity, is dangerous to health. Solanine poisoning will occur. Solanine is a glycoalkaloid. This substance is found in nightshade plants. Solanine is used to control local pests as well as fungal diseases.

Have you ever had green potato poisoning?

Yes, we were poisoned. No, we never did.

The poison enters the stomach and the mucous membrane immediately begins to suffer, and then the entire gastrointestinal tract. To get the first stage of poisoning, you only need 20 mg of this substance (one tuber contains 0.05%). For serious poisoning, you will need to consume more than 2 kg of unpeeled potatoes.

What happens to the body?

Solanine begins to affect the nervous system. It also destroys red blood cells, disrupts the gastrointestinal tract and digestion. This substance also negatively affects the kidneys. In case of severe poisoning, the human skin begins to suffer. In case of mild poisoning, the body, as they say, will begin to heal itself. Severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea will appear.

Heart rate slows, blood pressure decreases, and muscles begin to twitch. A large amount of such a substance can lead to human death.

What are the signs of poisoning?

Pupil dilation.
Dizziness.
Vomit.
Severe diarrhea.
Cramps all over the body.
Weakness.

You cannot stop vomiting. All spoiled product must leave the body.

What to do in case of poisoning?

If you have eaten green potatoes and the main signs of solanine poisoning appear, then:

Rinse the stomach with a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
After vomiting stops, drink activated charcoal;
The victim can also be given milk, raw egg, banana puree;
You can also take saline laxatives;

Reasons for greening of potato tubers

When digging potatoes, part of the harvest is green. Usually these are potatoes that have been on the surface of the ground for a long time. In some, the green spots are so pale that they are almost invisible. In others, the greenery is clearly visible, as it completely affects the tubers.

Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, chlorophyll is produced in plant organisms.

This can be seen in the example of plant leaves. But in the fruits of the Solanaceae family, the formation of a substance also occurs under certain conditions. Photosynthesis processes start in potato tubers when:

During growth in the garden, the fruits end up on the surface due to shallow planting.
The harvested crop is dried in rooms where sunlight penetrates.
Solanine is produced from thoroughly washed tubers.
The vegetable is infected with pests and pathogenic microorganisms.
The fields were treated with large amounts of mineral fertilizers.
Vegetables are stored incorrectly in basements where there is a lot of natural light.

Under artificial light, chlorophyll is formed, but more slowly. Chemical processes inside tubers require ultraviolet and infrared rays.

The result of greening of the tubers will be the accumulation of an alkaloid-type poison in them - solanine. It is dangerous to humans and is found in vegetables belonging to the Solanaceae family.

Potato storage

To preserve your harvest, it must be stored properly.

A few tips to save your work.

Before storing, sort out the root vegetables. Separate green, diseased and spoiled tubers from healthy tubers.
There must be ventilation.
Store in small quantities (10-12 kg) on pallets or shelves, covered with a protective cover.
Place beets on top of potatoes. It will absorb all excess moisture.
Apples slow down the germination of tubers. Therefore, a couple of apples can be put in a box with potatoes.
When storing, you need to sort through the potatoes 2-3 times. Separate the bad from the healthy.
Early varieties of root vegetables should be used immediately for food. They cannot be stored.
The temperature should be +2 - +4 degrees.
Air humidity - no more than 85%.
Keep potatoes in complete darkness.
You can store it in metal barrels, because small rodents like to gnaw on the sides of tubers);

Diseases

There are more than 20 potato diseases caused by fungi and microorganisms. Infection can be transmitted through the soil, through proximity to diseased plants and through storage if it contained a disease-affected crop the year before. Here are some common illnesses:

wet bacterial rot;
fusarium dry rot;
ring rot;
scab;
darkening of the pulp;
glandular spotting;
hollowness of potatoes.

Let's look at it in detail:

As the name suggests, wet rot is caused by bacteria. They enter the potato through damage in the skin, after which wet dark spots form. Gradually all the pulp turns into an unpleasant slimy mass. High temperature and humidity in the storage area, combined with lack of ventilation, contribute to the rapid development of this disease.
Fusarium appears as a result of the spread of fungal spores in storage.
They live in the soil and after a few months settle in areas where potatoes are damaged. Therefore, this disease can often be detected in the second half of the storage period. It looks like this:
Read also: Kohlrabi: how to store “northern lemon” at home
- Brown spots appear, then the peel gathers into folds.
And finally, it shrinks.
Ring rot can be detected when cutting a tuber: yellowing and softening of the tissue in the shape of a ring will be visible inside. Subsequently, the site of infection may turn brown and harden to form voids. The disease is not transmitted through soil. The infection develops slowly and is transmitted through the sprouted plant to the tubers of the next harvest.
Scab caused by a fungus and spreads in the ground. It looks like rashes on the skin in the form of black spots or warts. Infected potatoes are not dangerous for humans, but are less nutritious: the level of starch in them is significantly reduced.
Fungal growth can be caused by:
- improper application of fertilizers;
waterlogging.
Darkening of the flesh in itself is not a dangerous disease.
It can occur due to an incorrect combination of nutrients in the soil: excess nitrogen or lack of potassium. In addition, the flesh may darken as a result of frost. To prevent this, it is necessary to harvest the crop on time and maintain the optimal temperature in the cellar, above 0 degrees. This is important to do, because it is easier for different types of rot to settle on darkened tubers weakened by frost.
Iron spot or rustiness looks like rusty spots in the flesh that are visible when cut. This disease is not contagious and cannot be transmitted to future harvests.
It arises due to:
- improper soil composition, in particular, excess iron and aluminum;
Dryness and heat also contribute to the development of glandular spotting.

Its occurrence can only be prevented during plant growth with proper soil fertilization and sufficient watering.

Potato hollowness is voids that can appear inside large potatoes. It is safe to eat such a product, and you cannot become infected with this disease either.
Cavities arise due to the fact that external tissues grow faster than internal ones, and gaps arise between them. Such potatoes are stored worse, and it is easier for pathogenic bacteria to settle in them. Therefore, it is important to monitor the composition of the soil and fertilizers when growing the plant to prevent hollowness.

Summarize

Green potatoes should be taken seriously.
While green color is not harmful in itself, it may indicate the presence of a toxin called solanine.
Peeling green potatoes can help reduce solanine levels, but once the potatoes become very green, it's best to throw them away altogether.
Always inspect potatoes for any greening or damage before purchasing, and store them in a cool, dark place to prevent them from turning green.

We suggest you read: Pickling cabbage with beets for the winter

Tags: turn green, potatoes, bag, why

About the author: admin4ik

« Previous entry

What is solanine and why is it harmful?

Solanine is a poisonous glycoside that is produced in plants of the nightshade family and is found in any part of the plant. As for potatoes, there is especially a lot of solanine in the peel and sprouts.

In regular potato roots the level of solanine is 0.005%, in green tubers it is much higher. Upon reaching maturity, the vegetable becomes whitish, yellowish or reddish depending on the variety, and the solanine content decreases. And the fruits can be eaten after heat treatment.

Attention! Solanine is toxic to humans even in small doses. It causes stimulation and depression of the nervous system, then depression and destruction of red blood cells. High doses of the alkaloid can cause fever, convulsions, and dehydration, which can be fatal for a weakened body.

What to do in case of poisoning

If the symptoms are severe, then the first thing you need to do is call an ambulance .
Then we perform gastric lavage using a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). For an adult, we prepare a three-liter jar of a weak pink solution (if necessary, add another jar).
Artificially induce vomiting (adults only).
After washing, give activated carbon. If necessary, we give a laxative.
A visiting doctor can perform intravenous rehydration (saturation of the body with water) using a sterile solution of sodium chloride. This process helps with dehydration resulting from gastric lavage.

Precautionary measures

The best method of prevention : grow potatoes in guaranteed safe conditions, without nitrates and other toxic substances. If you buy potatoes, pay attention to the appearance of the fruit and storage conditions. Don't buy the first new potatoes because there is a chance that they will be overloaded with nitrates.

Pay attention to the peel and integrity of the tubers . High-quality potatoes have a dense skin that is difficult to damage with a fingernail; they do not have black spots or signs of damage by insects.

It is not advisable to eat green potatoes , but it is possible after removing a thick layer of peel and prolonged heat treatment. You need to know moderation in everything: even in a healthy person, large portions of a high-quality product can provoke negative manifestations - constipation, allergies, exacerbation of type 2 and 3 diabetes.

Advice. Experts recommend, if possible, choosing medium-sized fruits, since large fruits contain salts and esters of nitric acid, which are toxic to humans, and small ones have not yet had time to grow and ripen.

Signs of solanine poisoning

Due to the accumulation of toxic substances in the body beyond the norm, intoxication occurs. When taking a small dose , there is a latent period during which the person feels satisfactory.

The asymptomatic period lasts on average 2-6 hours, sometimes shortened to 30-60 minutes or lasts about 24 hours. A mild form of poisoning is manifested by nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, headache and dizziness, and diarrhea. The frequency of stool can reach up to 10 times a day.

In case of moderate poisoning, the symptoms are similar, only brighter . The victim complains of lethargy, muscle pain, general malaise, decreased endurance and performance. Loss of fluid through vomiting and stool has an adverse effect on the condition of the skin: it becomes dry, flabby, and facial features become sharper.

In severe forms, typical signs of poisoning are pronounced . The central nervous system is often affected, which is manifested by hallucinations, speech and vision disorders, euphoria, convulsions, and coma. When exposed to the cardiovascular system, arrhythmia, tachycardia are observed, and blood pressure drops. As a result of cardiac dysfunction, coma or death may occur.

First aid for solanine poisoning

A set of emergency medical measures begins with washing the stomach to clean water and administering an enema to remove toxic substances. For the same purpose, enterosorbents are prescribed, which have an antidiarrheal effect, absorb and remove glycosides and other compounds from the body.

Article on the topic: Potato juice in folk medicine and cosmetology

If treatment and preventive measures do not help , the symptoms worsen and general health worsens, call an ambulance or take the victim to the hospital.

To prevent dehydration, replenish fluid loss . They drink sweet tea, saline solution, still mineral water. For moderate forms of poisoning, parenteral rehydration therapy is carried out - the necessary solutions are injected into a vein through a dropper.

Take note: