Is sprouted potatoes edible is a question many people are interested in. Because potatoes are a familiar food often used to prepare many dishes in Vietnamese families. To know the exact answer to the above problem, please refer to the article below!
Are sprouted potatoes edible?
Potatoes are foods that contain many healthy nutrients. Not only that, this is also the raw material for processing many delicious and attractive dishes. Therefore, many families often have the habit of storing potatoes for use when needed. Besides, improper storage of potatoes is also the reason why potatoes are prone to sprouting.
Figure 1: Many people wonder if sprouted potatoes are edible?
So, can potatoes be eaten when sprouted?
According to research, potatoes contain two glycoalkaloid compounds (also found in eggplant, tomato). This compound can provide many health benefits even in small amounts. Few people know, they have antibiotic-like properties with the effect of regulating blood sugar and cholesterol. However, when this compound is in excess, it will cause toxicity.
Potato sprouting will lead to an increase in glycoalkaloid content. And at this time, toxins will appear in potatoes and cause health hazards. After eating sprouted potatoes for a few hours, you will have symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. More dangerous, you can have low blood sugar, irregular heartbeat, headache, confusion. A few severe cases can lead to death.
In addition, if pregnant women eat sprouted potatoes, it will increase the risk of birth defects. Therefore, you need to pay attention and avoid using sprouted potatoes to ensure the best health.
What to do when potatoes are sprouted?
In addition to being concerned about whether a sprouted potato is edible or not, many people want to know what to do when the potato sprouts. Is it possible to remove the sprouting site or remove the toxin in the potato and use it? There has been a notion that it is possible to remove the sprouting location of potatoes to reduce the risk of toxicity or remove the skin to reduce the amount of glycoalkaloid loaded into the body.
However, studies suggest that there is no optimal solution to eliminate toxins in sprouted potatoes. Therefore, if you find that the potato tuber has sprouted or turned green, you should immediately discard it and should not use it.
Figure 2: Should remove all sprouted potatoes and absolutely do not use
In addition to discarding sprouted potatoes, you should also pay attention to the processing method. Because, how to cook potatoes also determines the concentration of glycoalkaloids. You should fry, cook, stir-fry... potatoes at high temperature (about 170 degrees Celsius) to decompose all harmful substances.
How to store potatoes?
As mentioned, improper storage of potatoes is also an easy reason for potatoes to sprout. Therefore, you need to know how to preserve potatoes below:
Screen potatoes as soon as they are purchased or harvested. Peeled, bruised or damaged tubers should be used early as they will spoil faster and can damage other normal potatoes if kept together.
Store potatoes in a cool, dry place, away from light and moisture because these are favorable conditions for potatoes to germinate.
You can put the potatoes in a vented box, put newspapers between the layers of potatoes to preserve them for a longer time
Check regularly for signs of spoilage
Hopefully, this article has given you the answer to whether sprouted potatoes are edible or not. The useful knowledge that Organica shared above will definitely help housewives in using potatoes properly and safely.