Solanine is responsible for food poisoning from sprouted potatoes. Although sprouted potatoes, raw kidney beans, and fresh daylily buds can all cause food poisoning, the toxic components differ: kidney beans contain saponins and lectins; fresh daylily buds contain colchicine-like compounds; and sprouted potatoes contain solanine.Solanine is a toxin present in sprouted, green, or rotten potatoes. High-quality potatoes contain only about 10 milligrams of solanine per 100 grams, whereas green, sprouted, or rotten potatoes can have solanine levels increased by 50 times or more.Consuming very small amounts of solanine may not cause noticeable harm to humans. However, ingesting 200 milligrams of solanine at once (roughly equivalent to eating half an ounce of green or sprouted potatoes) can lead to illness.The latent period for solanine in the human body ranges from tens of minutes to several hours. Primary symptoms include throat itching and burning sensations, gastroenteritis, and severe cases may develop hemolytic jaundice. Therefore, it is fundamental culinary knowledge to never consume sprouted or rotten potatoes.
Removing sprouts from potatoes still poses health risks, though less severe
When a potato sprouts, most households simply cut off the sprouted corner and consume the remaining unspoiled portion—after all, discarding an entire potato over a single sprout seems wasteful. But does this practice eliminate food poisoning risks?Jiang Ying, a nationally certified Level 2 nutritionist, explained to our editor that from a nutritional perspective, even after cutting off the sprouted corner, there remains a risk of food poisoning. However, any issue must be considered in terms of quantity. Generally, people won't consume enough of a sprouted potato to cause food poisoning. Therefore, if a large potato has a small sprout, cutting it off and eating the rest is usually fine.She further illustrated that in the past, people often stockpiled potatoes and were reluctant to discard them even when sprouted. Many would simply cut out the sprouts and continue eating the potatoes. Life experience shows that this practice rarely causes any harm.However, if a potato shows severe mold growth or green discoloration, or if multiple sprouts appear on a single potato, it should be discarded without hesitation. Even after removing the sprouts, such potatoes offer little nutritional value or palatability, making them unfit for consumption.