The tutor shares information about the hazard of green potatoes.

Potatoes are meant to grow covered beneath the soil. When a tuber (the edible part of a potato) gets exposed to the sun, its exposed cells develop chlorophyll, so turn green: they become photosynthetic so they can produce carbohydrates, rather than just storing them.

To protect themselves from being eaten, the exposed, newly-photosynthetic cells also produce dangerous toxins related to strychnine. Hence, the wisdom that any green parts on a potato must be discarded.

A study reported in 2006 looked at the toxicity of green potatoes. Results showed that the green skin can host the toxins at dangerous concentration; however, the flesh of the green potato was not found to – in that study, anyway. Yet, the researchers urged caution: the toxins can persist in the human body for more than a day, and even low-level concentrations of them may cause symptoms difficult to detect.

To be as safe as possible, one can obey the old wisdom and discard all green parts of a potato.

Source:

curiouscook.com

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.