Is the green on potatoes really poison?

[amberj]

You know how sometimes potatoes go a bit green just under the skin, particularly noticeable when you peel them? I was always told that the green was actually poisonous and needed to be peeled off fully.

Is this true or a myth I somehow picked up?

[Phteven]

True
Greening of potatoes: CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences

[storm]

I have heard this aswell

[AnyDream]

Yes it really is poisonous. Got this on the CSIRO website:

Are green potatoes safe to eat?
Green potatoes may cause food poisoning and since some of the symptoms are similar to gastroenteritis it is possible that some undiagnosed cases of gastroenteritis have been caused by eating green potatoes.

Human and livestock deaths have been recorded as a result of the consumption of greened or damaged potatoes with very high glycoalkaloid levels. It should be noted that glycoalkaloids are not destroyed by cooking processes, even by frying in hot oil. Consequently potatoes with pronounced greening or with signs of damage should not be eaten.

It is advisable that green or damaged potatoes are avoided by pregnant women or women who are likely to become pregnant, as there is some evidence of possible foetal damage or loss of the foetus from glycoalkaloid poisoning in animals.

...
Conclusions
Not every potato with traces of greening will contain sufficient levels of glycoalkaloids to pose a threat to health. However because of the possibility that green potatoes may produce food poisoning, they should be discarded, as should physically damaged potatoes and those with any signs of rotting.

Consumers should avoid buying any potatoes that show signs of greening or damage and should carefully remove any sprouts before cooking. However it should be remembered that healthy potatoes do not pose any health risk at all and are an excellent source of nutrients.

It is helpful to realise that the poisonous compound tastes quite bitter, so if your potato has that real bitter flavour

[amberj]

Wow, thanks Brontide- just read the link....after having eaten (well peeled) green spuds for dinner!!

Must send this link to my DH- he always thinks I'm mad for being wary of green potatoes.

[amberj]

I *think* from what I've read it increases the levels of nasty stuff in the whole potato, but the greatest concentrations are in the green areas. I've looked at a couple of different websites now, and some say the whole spud is evil and must be thrown out, and others say peel it well and the levels of poison in the remaining potato would only be dangerous if you are several kilo's of them. Hard to tell, perhaps better to be on the safe side and avoid the green ones.

[Glamourcide]

FWIW I usually just peel the green bits off and cannot recall ever being ill afterwards... but then BIL usually uses about 6 taters a day making mash for himself (seeing as he never shows up around dinnertime and therefore doesn't get fed) so every remaining tater is precious in my house But horses for courses, if you feel safer chucking the whole thing out then go for it

[rubibaby]

wow, you learn something new everyday

[Anila]

oh dear, all the potatoes we ate this week were all green, it was practically the entire bag, and i didnt peel them as they were washed baby potatoes.
And we are on a tight food budget, so i couldnt get any more.
So far nobody has been sick, how ever, the kids have had a few more poos this week, wonder if that is a coinky dink?

I did know that they should be avoided in pregnancy.

[[M]umma[M]ia]

what about sprouting potatoes??? are they no good??

[AnyDream]

Anila, if nearly the whole bag is green, you should take them back to the shop for an exchange (unless you've left them out somewhere in the light). Sometimes they get left in the sun in transit to the shop so they're green when you buy them.

ETA - Yes the actual sprouty bits have a higher concentration of the chemicals in them as well. I always cut any eyes out that are starting to sprout for that reason but the rest of the potato should be ok unless it's really growing, kwim.

BTW I have read that the greening/sprouting chemicals have a bitter flavour, so you can usually tell if the potato tastes more bitter than it should.

[smiles4u]

green on a potato equals into the rubbish bin for me

[Anila]

Anila, if nearly the whole bag is green, you should take them back to the shop for an exchange (unless you've left them out somewhere in the light). Sometimes they get left in the sun in transit to the shop so they're green when you buy them.

usually i dont buy them if they are green, but every bag of washed baby potatoes was green, and sprouting, and i needed spuds and didnt have time to go else where.
But definatly never again..

[Early Kids]

WOW, I had no idea!!

Luckily I've always peeled them right off, or if too green (as in whole tata green) it goes in the bin.

I've always cut the sprout off too... eww

[Indadhanu]

Oh wow I thought it would be ok to just cut the green bit off (although thinking about of course the whole potato would have the 'greening' chemical :-\ ). Thats only if a little corner close to the skin is green, i would chuck a potato if it was green through the middle though, although i do that because it tastes icky

TBH though I didn't actually know it was POISONOUS, I thought green was just not great, like eating green bananas or tomatoes.

[*charmalea*]

green tater go straight into the bin here .... its a vege i rarely buy anyway ... they usually just sit in the cupboard till they sprout and go green so i can put them in the bin anyway ..

ive heard the potoato is the "dummest " vegetable ...

[DoubleK]

ohhh i never knew green was poisonous!! yuck!

i always peel the green off! no more green potatoes here!

[Tanya]

I think to reduce the risk of them going green you must keep them in the dark... *i think*