Potato with green sides: is it possible to eat if you cut the peel?

People are increasingly trying to monitor their nutrition and check the quality of products. Is it possible to eat green potatoes? The root crop is very popular in Russia, Europe and the USA. Mashed potatoes, fried fries, chips, potato pancakes, casseroles are made from it. So it is a shame to throw green tubers into the bin. Maybe if you cut off a thick layer of the peel and boil the potatoes well, the negative consequences for the body will not occur? Read the article and you'll find out.

Green Potato Toxin - Solanine

Solanaceous plants include tomatoes, eggplants, physalis and popular potatoes. Representatives of this family in an unripe form contain glycoalkoloid solanin - a substance toxic to the animal organism 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 crops lie under sunlight for 3 months, then 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, cellars and other dark rooms.

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

How does this appear externally? The sides of the potatoes turn green, thick seedlings appear.

Solanine has the following hazardous properties:

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

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

Does solanine break down during cleaning and heat treatment?

Many articles appeared on the Internet refuting the harm of green potatoes. Like, eating the product in boiled, fried or baked form is not dangerous, since solanine is destroyed by heat treatment. A raw tubers still no one eats.

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

• boiling water - 100 degrees;
• in the oven, potatoes are rarely baked at temperatures above 220-230 degrees;
• the optimum temperature of vegetable oil during frying is 130-160 degrees, at 190 degrees and above it begins to smoke.

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

If you are going to cook mashed potatoes, pour the broth from the pan at the end. Knead the prepared root crop with the addition of clean hot water, milk or sour cream.

What about cleaning? Will the toxin remain in the potato if the green peel is cut?

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

Draw 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. Lethal outcome is possible. Let's count the numbers to see if it is dangerous to eat potatoes with a green barrel.

Mashed potatoes, 1 serving

3 potatoes of 100 grams with a green peel contain up to 150 mg of toxin. After thorough cleaning, 50%, i.e. 75 mg, will remain. Another part of the solanine will fall into the water during cooking, which you will merge at the end. Thus, in the finished puree will remain about 35-40 mg.

Value borders on extremely safe concentration. It is necessary to reduce the serving size by 2 times.

Fried potato garnish, 300 grams

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

In addition, there are other nuances that need to be considered:

1. If the tubers began to turn green 5-6 months ago, then the concentration of solanine in them can 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 immediately excreted. And this is fraught with chronic diseases of the heart and blood vessels, liver, kidneys, thyroid gland, and digestive tract organs.

So is it possible to eat green potatoes? Theoretically, yes, if you carefully cut the green peel and consume the product in small quantities. In this case, it is advisable to boil potatoes, previously cut into pieces. So most of the solanine will fall into the water.

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

Nevertheless, we recommend that you do not risk your health. Potato is an inexpensive and affordable product. Better to feel sorry for yourself, family, friends and throw green tubers. Do not buy potatoes for six months in advance. Take in the store no more than 1-2 kg and cook for a week.

Symptoms of intoxication and first aid

Solanine poisoning is possible when eating a large amount of fried (baked, especially in a jacket) potatoes with green peels or raw potato juice.

The following symptoms may bother a person:

• nausea, vomiting;
• intestinal colic;
• diarrhea;
• dilated pupils;
• migraine type headache;
• fever;
• cramps
• hallucinations;
• heart palpitations (then - a slowing of the rhythm);
• sore throat.

The patient needs to rinse the stomach, give enterosorbent and astringent fluids (for example, a decoction of oak bark). If you have the last four symptoms listed above, call an ambulance immediately.

Although there are no recorded cases of green potato poisoning, this does not mean that there were none. People often do not seek medical help and simply do not understand the causes of ill health. Many negative health effects do not occur immediately, but over the years. If you doubt the safety of the product, discard it. You should not risk a valuable resource for the sake of saving money.