When many families buy potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger and other root vegetables, they like to buy more and keep them. In the spring, these vegetables are often placed and will sprout.
Some people think sprouting doesn’t matter, but others are afraid of poisoning.
So, which vegetables can be eaten after germination, and which ones are best to throw away, today, Zhimei will tell you!
Potatoes are cute and delicious, but sprouted potatoes must not be eaten!
The substance that makes sprouted potatoes a “time bomb” is called solanine, a water-insoluble, high-temperature resistant (not easy to bake, fry) etc. destruction) toxins.
Normal potatoes are low in solanine, but when potatoes sprouted, they produce large amounts of solanine.
If the content of solanine exceeds 20mg/100g, it may cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, dyspnea and other poisoning symptoms after consumption, severely can lead to death[ 1].
Solanine is produced in the bud, mainly in the eye, epidermis, green and damaged parts, and spreads to all parts of the potato[2].
Without professional testing equipment, simple treatments such as digging out the buds and peeling the skin cannot guarantee the effective reduction of the content of solanine, nor can it eliminate the poisoning danger [2].
So, if you find that the potatoes in your home are sprouting or turning green, don’t save money. For your health, don’t eat them.
Tips for storing potatoes:
Pick potatoes that are firm to the touch, with an intact surface, no green spots at the skin and shoots.
If you can’t eat it in a short time, you can store it in a dark, cool, ventilated and dry place[3,4], such as covering with a layer of sand or using a black bag, kraft paper, etc. Cover, but do not seal.
1. Ginger
Ginger will consume nutrients during the process of sprouting and rooting, resulting in reduced nutritional value and poor taste, but it will not produce toxic substances[ 5].
(Source: The Ripe Tomato Farms)
However,fresh ginger has a high moisture content and is prone to mildew.
If your ginger has rotted gray-black patches, it’s a “signal” of mold contamination.
Since the spores and mycelium of the mold are invisible to the naked eye, but when you see spots, the mold may have contaminated other parts or even spread to the depths, so it is best to throw away the whole piece.
Ginger storage tips:
Put the ginger in a ziploc bag, poke a few holes in the bag to breathe, and put it in the refrigerator[6].
2. Onion
Sprouting an onion does not produce toxic substances, but nutrients in the bulb are transferred to the top growth point, providing nutrients to the bud, allowing the bulb to gradually Hollow, soft, and flavor loss[7].
(Source: seeReference 8)
Onion storage tips:
If you want to store for a longer time, you can choose flat yellow onions, which are not easy to sprout, followed by spherical yellow onions; red onions And white onions are easier to sprout bolting [9].
Onions are resistant to low temperature and are best stored at 0°C, which can be stored for 3-4 weeks[10-12].
If there is not enough space in the refrigerator, it can also be stored in a cool and dry place with little temperature difference between day and night[9,13]. Hang for storage in hollowed out pockets, organizers and more.
(Source: Pinterest)
3. Sweet Potato
Sweet potato sprouts, as long as the sprouts are removed, it can be eaten normally, but after the sweet potatoes sprout, the dry matter such as starch will be reduced, the water will be lost more, and the taste and nutritional value will be reduced.
Watch too! Sweet potatoes with sunken black spots and a bitter taste cannot be eaten [14].
(Source: Scot Nelson)
Because this black spot may be caused by Black spot bacteria pollution, it contains toxic substances, and it cannot be destroyed by boiling for a long time. It may cause poisoning after eating [16].
Sweet potato storage tips:
Try to choose sweet potatoes whose epidermis has not been scratched, otherwise it is easy to be infected with black spot disease[17].
In spring, it can be stored in a cool place (about 12°C), pay attention to ventilation, and if there are many sweet potatoes, pay attention to leaving a gap in the potato piles when stacking [15].
In addition to the above, sprouts such as carrots, garlic, shallots are also edible, but it is recommended that you buy them and eat them as soon as possible.
If the buds have grown long, you can put them in flower pots. Sweet potato leaves, green onion and garlic sprouts taste good and grow quickly!
1. Beans such as mung beans, soybeans, peas, etc.
After they germinate, they are the mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, pea sprouts, etc. that we eat every day.
When beans germinate into sprouts, a variety of enzymes are activated, nutrients undergo enzymatic reactions, and mineral elements, vitamins, flavonoids, polyphenols, etc. The content has been improved, the type and proportion of amino acids have been improved, and its nutritional value has increased [16-19].
2. Toon
Toon sprouts are rich in nutrients such as vitamins, polyphenols, flavonoids and alkaloids, and are a vegetable with high nutritional value[20-22].
Toon sprouts are just the seasonal vegetables in spring. Friends who like the unique taste of toon may wish to try it now~
3. Brown Rice
Brown rice is germinated, the starch content is reduced, the amino acid, vitamin E and other nutrients are increased, it is easier to cook, and the flavor and taste are improved [23-27].
However, some studies have found that if brown rice germinates for more than 3 days, the cooking and eating quality of the rice will be reduced [28], so you can pay attention to it.
Reviewer
Lin Chen｜Nutritionist, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Beijing Tongren Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University
References
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[7]Chope, Gemma & Terry, Leon & White, Philip. (2007). The effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on the physical and biochemical characteristics of onion cv. SS1 bulbs during storage. Postharvest Biology and Technology. 44. 131-140. 10.1016/j.postharvbio.2006.11.012.
[8]Thomas P, Srirangarajan AN, Limaye S P. Studies on sprout inhibition of onions by gamma irradiation—I. influence of time interval between harvest and irradiation, radiation dose and environmental conditions on sprouting[J]. Radiation Botany, 1975, 15(3): 215-222.
[9] He Ping, Li Congyue, 1997. Storage characteristics and storage technology of onion. Xichang Agricultural Science and Technology, (4): 4.6
[10]Cantwell MI, Kasmire IF. Postharvest Handling System; Fruits/Vegetables. In Kader Adel A. (ed.). Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops. Third Edition, University of California, Publication 3311, 2002, 407-422
[11]Mike Boyette, D. C. Sanders, Ed Estes, Postharvest Cooling and Handling of Onions. Available at: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/postharvest-cooling- and-handling-of-onions#section_heading_9350(Accessed on 2022/4/13)
[12]Suslow T, Cantwell M. Onions: dry. Recommendations for maintaining postharvest quality, 2014. Available at: https://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Commodity_Resources/Fact_Sheets/ Datastores/Vegetables_English/?uid=24&ds=799 (Accessed on 2022/4/13)
[13]Freezing Onions. National Center for Home Food Preservation, The University of Georgia, Athens. Available at: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/onion .html (Accessed on 2022/4/13)
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