Subject: Green potatoes

From: [email-masked] (BRIAN LEE)
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 95 23:25:00 -0500

|PS> 	That green stuff is called sunburn, resulting from the potato         |
|PS> growing too close to the surface, or being exposed to sun during or soo|
|PS> after harvest. It is mostly chlorophyll, but is indicative of the      |
|PS> presence of other toxic compounds the potato manufactures to prevent   |
|PS> itself from being eaten in its exposed state by insects or foraging    |
|PS> animals. Two trisaccharide sugars, solanine and chaconine, as well as  |
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The green color also results from exposure to light during
shipping, sales, or storage.  Even fluorescent light will cause
this.  Solanine and solanidine are highest in the sprouts from
the eyes (2nd highest in the eyes).  The green color can
indicate that sprouting is about to occur, which means that
solanine and solanidine are elevating even though chlorophyll
and the alkaloids are not directly related.

Solanine and solanidine are carcinogenic, but poorly absorbed in
humans. Nevertheless, it is wise to avoid carcinogens when it
can be easily done.  Bye bye green potato!
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