However, they can become toxic when eaten in excess ( 1, 2 ). As a potato sprouts, its glycoalkaloid content begins to rise. Therefore, eating potatoes that have sprouted can cause you to ingest excessive amounts of these compounds.
Are potatoes with sprouts safe to eat?
Dr. David Douches, director of the Potato Breeding and Genetics Program at Michigan State University, says: “Yes, however, the sprouts must be removed and discarded because they are not edible. When a potato begins to sprout, the starch inside the potato converts to sugars enabling the sprout/plant to grow.
Our answer is that poisoning by potato sprouts can be avoided by properly storing potatoes, consuming them soon after purchase and, when present, cutting away the potato sprouts and green skin before consuming. Soft potatoes with sprouts are toxic and should not be eaten.
When are Potatoes Bad?
So the simplest answer to the question “when are potatoes bad” is: when they are very green or have a lot of large sprouts.
Do you have to remove sprouts from potatoes?
There are, however, toxin concerns with potato sprouts, so you need to remove the sprouts and ensure that the potato isn’t too far gone. Most of the nutrients are still intact in a firm, sprouted potato. As a potato sprouts, it converts starch to sugar in order to feed the new potato plant that will grow from the erupting sprouts.
It is why you want to remove the sprouts and eyes before you eat the potato. Solanine is concentrated in the eyes, sprouts, and skin, but not the rest of the potato. If your potato has green skin, be sure to remove the skins before you eat it. So long as you remove these, you’re unlikely to feel its effects.
Why do potato sprouts sprout?
Here’s the story When a potato starts sprouting, it’s just doing what potato plants do—growing and making more potatoes! And like any good parent, the potato wants its family to stay safe. So, sprouts, which are vulnerable once they emerge from the protective cover of soil, come equipped with defensive toxins called glycoalkaloids.
Our best answer was When a potato starts sprouting, it’s just doing what potato plants do—growing and making more potatoes! And like any good parent, the potato wants its family to stay safe. So, sprouts, which are vulnerable once they emerge from the protective cover of soil, come equipped with defensive toxins called glycoalkaloids.