Potatoes https://greenelly.com/ are a plant of the nightshade family that contain the toxic compound solanine. Solanine is a natural defense against diseases and pests, so it is not surprising that solanine is a poison for humans. Under normal conditions, there is little solanine in potatoes – about 0.05%, and it is essentially not dangerous.
In the light, the process of photosynthesis begins in potatoes – the pigment chlorophyll is formed in the vegetable. It is not dangerous in itself, but indicates an increased solanine content. Therefore, green potatoes pose a certain danger.
How to determine the danger level of green potatoes?
The degree of danger of green potatoes depends on the amount of solanine in it. The larger the green surface area on a tuber, the more solanine it contains. It is also important to consider the size and thickness of the potato: small, thin-skinned tubers turn green faster and accumulate more solanine than large, thick-skinned ones.
It is believed that the safe dose of solanine for humans is 0.2 mg per 1 kg of body weight. This means that for an adult weighing 70 kg, the safe dose of solanine is 14 mg. For children, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases, the dose should be even less.
On average, one gram of the green part of a potato contains about 8 mg of solanine. This means that for poisoning it is enough to eat about 2 grams of the green part or about 200 grams of green potatoes. However, these figures may vary depending on the variety, storage conditions and preparation of potatoes.
