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Are Sprouted Potatoes Poisonous?

It s important to distinguish between the potatoes themselves and the sprouts

that grow on them.

Potato sprouts are considered toxic due to their potentially high concentration

of glycoalkaloids, says Dr. Nora Olsen, an associate extension professor and

potato specialist at the University of Idaho.

Potato alkaloids exert their toxic effects on the nervous system by

interfering with the body s ability to regulate acetylcholine, a chemical

responsible for conducting nerve impulses, notes UC Davis vegetable specialist

Marita Cantwell in the Perishables Handling Newsletter, Issue No. 87. She

explains that the main types of glycoalkaloids found in potato sprouts are

a-solanine and a-chaconine. [S]ymptoms of solanine toxicity include headache,

nausea, fatigue, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea, she writes, and

a-chaconine is considered more toxic than a-solanine. Cooking is not believed

to reduce levels of the compounds, but you can cut the sprouts off and still

safely eat the potato.

Some potato varieties (like Lenape) are more susceptible to higher levels of

glycoalkaloids. It also matters whether the potatoes were stored in the light.

Sprouts exposed to light can have two to four times more glycoalkaloids than

nonexposed sprouts, Olsen explains.

A potato exposed to light, sprouted or unsprouted, may itself have an increased

concentration of glycoalkaloids. If this is the case, the toxic area will turn

green. Strangely, that green is not the poison itself but chlorophyll, which is

harmless. The green color is, however, a good indicator that that part of the

potato may contain higher levels of the poisonous compounds. As with the

sprouts, Olsen explains, you can cut the green part off and eat the rest of the

potato.