Potatoes with green sides: can they be eaten if the skin is cut off?

People are increasingly trying to monitor their diet and check the quality of food. Is it possible to eat green potatoes? Maybe if you cut off a thick layer of peel and boil the potatoes thoroughly, there will be no negative consequences for the body? Read the article and you will find out everything.

The toxin in green potatoes is solanine.

Nightshade plants include tomatoes, eggplants, physalis and the popular potato. Representatives of this family in their unripe form contain the glycoalkoloid solanine, a substance toxic to the body of animals and humans.

When potatoes ripen in the ground, the concentration of solanine in tubers decreases to 0.05% and does not exceed 10 mg. This is a safe value.

However, when the vegetable comes into contact with UV rays, the process of photosynthesis starts. If root vegetables lie in sunlight for 3 months, the concentration of solanine in them will increase 3-5 times and reach 30-50 mg. That is why it is customary to store potatoes in cellars, basements and other dark rooms.

Solanine has harmful effects on health if a person receives more than 20-40 mg of the substance at a time. Therefore, potatoes with green spots are unsuitable for consumption.

How does this manifest itself externally? The sides of the potatoes turn green and thick sprouts appear.

Solanine has the following dangerous properties:

• decomposes red blood cells;
• first excites and then depresses the nervous system (a similar effect is observed after drinking alcoholic beverages);
• irritates the mucous membranes of the stomach, intestines and eyes;
• lowers blood pressure;
• increases body temperature;
• leads to heart rhythm disturbances.

In severe poisoning, convulsions, hallucinations and even coma may occur. However, to get an ultra-high dose of solanine even from green potatoes, you have to try.

Is solanine destroyed by cleaning and heat treatment?

Many articles have appeared on the Internet refuting the dangers of green potatoes. They say that it is not dangerous to eat the product boiled, fried or baked, since solanine is destroyed during heat treatment. But no one eats raw tubers anyway.

However, chemical reference books contain information that the melting (decomposition) point of solanine is 295 degrees. Let's see what values ​​are achieved during heat treatment.

• boiling water – 100 degrees;
• Potatoes are rarely baked in the oven at temperatures above 220-230 degrees;
• The optimal temperature of vegetable oil for frying is 130-160 degrees; at 190 degrees and above it begins to smoke.

Thus, none of the listed heat treatment methods leads to the decomposition of solanine. Although during cooking this substance leaks out of the potatoes and enters the water, the concentration of the toxin in the tubers decreases.

If you are going to make mashed potatoes, pour the broth out of the pan at the end. Mash the prepared root vegetable with the addition of clean hot water, milk or sour cream.

What about cleaning? Will the toxin remain in potatoes if the green skin is cut off?

After cleaning light tubers, the solanine content decreases by 90%.But if we are talking about green potatoes, then peeling removes only 50% of the harmful substance.

Drawing conclusions

Even a small dose (from 20-40 mg) can lead to mild food poisoning with solanine, and values ​​above 200-300 mg are considered dangerous. Possible death. Let's crunch the numbers to see if eating potatoes with green sides is dangerous.

Mashed potatoes, 1 serving

3 potatoes, 100 grams each, with green skin contain up to 150 mg of toxin. After thorough cleaning, 50% will remain, that is, 75 mg. Another part of the solanine will end up in the cooking water, which you will drain at the end. Thus, about 35-40 mg will remain in the finished puree.

The value borders on the extremely safe concentration. You need to reduce the serving size by 2 times.

Fried potato side dish, 300 grams

Again, we get about 75 mg of solanine after peeling potatoes with green spots. When frying, the remaining toxin does not disappear anywhere. As a result, a person exceeds the safe value when consuming a ready-made dish.

In addition, there are other nuances that need to be taken into account:

1. If the tubers began to turn green 5-6 months ago, then the concentration of solanine in them may exceed 50 mg.
2. Regular consumption of potatoes with green spots in large quantities leads to the accumulation of toxin in the internal organs, since it is not eliminated immediately. And this is fraught with chronic diseases of the heart and blood vessels, liver, kidneys, thyroid gland, and gastrointestinal tract.

So can you eat green potatoes? Theoretically, yes, if you carefully cut off the green peel and consume the product in small quantities. It is advisable to boil potatoes that have been previously cut into pieces. This way most of the solanine will end up in the water.

Potatoes with green spots are strictly contraindicated in the diet of young children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases.

Still, we recommend not to risk your health. Potatoes are an inexpensive and accessible product. It’s better to feel sorry for yourself, your family, friends and throw away the green tubers. Do not buy potatoes six months in advance. Take no more than 1-2 kg from the store and cook within a week.

Symptoms of intoxication and first aid

Solanine poisoning is possible when consuming large amounts of fried (baked, especially in their jacket) potatoes with green skins or raw potato juice.

A person may be bothered by the following symptoms:

• nausea, vomiting;
• intestinal colic;
• diarrhea;
• dilated pupils;
• migraine type headache;
• fever;
• convulsions;
• hallucinations;
• rapid heartbeat (then slowing down);
• sore throat.

The patient needs to rinse the stomach, give enterosorbent and astringent liquids (for example, a decoction of oak bark). If you have the last four symptoms above, call an ambulance without delay.

Although there are no documented cases of green potato poisoning, this does not mean that none have occurred. People often do not seek medical help and simply do not understand the reasons for their poor health. Many negative health effects do not appear immediately, but over time. If you doubt the safety of a product, discard it. You shouldn't risk a valuable resource to save money.