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Potato sprouts are often seen when you store potatoes for a long duration. Is it safe to eat sprouted potatoes and how do you prevent potatoes from sprouting?
Potato sprouts are certainly not good. When potatoes sprout, the starch in the potatoes is converted into sugar. It is suggested that if the potato is firm, it has most of the nutrients intact and can be eaten after removing the sprouted part. However, if the potato is shrunken and wrinkled, it should not be eaten.
 What about green potatoes? Green potatoes are a result of excessive exposure to light. Due to overexposure to light the skin becomes green due to formation of an alkaloid solamin. The green skin is toxic and hence many people remove the green skin before eating the potato.
How can you control potato sprouts? Normally potato sprout inhibition is done by using chemical inhibitors such as maleic hydrazide, CIPC or chlorpropham. Irradiation is also a good method of controlling the potato sprouts. With the increasing demand of organic potatoes, research is being carried out on organic control of potato sprouts. The University of Idaho has reported that essential oils such as clove oil, spearmint oil and peppermint oil can be used to for organic potato sprout inhibition.
Apart from these techniques, you should ensure that you store potatoes properly. People often use the following precautions to minimize formation of potato sprouts:
- Moisture: Ensure that the potatoes are not stored in a humid atmosphere. Moisture speeds up the sprouting process. On the other hand, the potatoes should also not get dehydrated.
- Temperature: Higher temperatures favor the formation of potato sprouts. Generally the temperature for storing potatoes is maintained between 44F to 50F.
- Air Circulation: Ensure sufficient air circulation when you store potatoes.
Further Reading:
Organic Control of Potato Sprouts
Nutritional Value of Potato
Tips for Cooking Potatoes
Potato Information
Potato Storage Management
Storage and Processing of Potatoes
The photo on this page is credited to Tony Austin
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