green potatoes contain solanine what type of food poisoning is caused by

Green potatoes that contain solanine cause chemical food poisoning, specifically called solanine poisoning (a type of glycoalkaloid toxicity).

What type of food poisoning is it?

• Solanine in green or sprouted potatoes leads to toxic (chemical) food poisoning , not bacterial food poisoning.

• In food safety terms, it falls under chemical contamination of food, caused by a naturally occurring plant toxin (a glycoalkaloid).

• This kind of poisoning is sometimes referred to as potato poisoning or solanine toxicity in medical and toxicology texts.

How it happens

• When potatoes are exposed to light, damaged, or stored improperly, they can turn green and increase their solanine content.

• The green color is from chlorophyll, but it usually signals that solanine has built up to potentially unsafe levels, especially in the skin, sprouts, and any very bitter parts.

Typical symptoms

Solanine food poisoning mainly affects the gut and nervous system.

Common symptoms include:

• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea

• Stomach cramps or abdominal pain, burning or irritation in the throat or mouth

• Headache, dizziness, and general weakness

• In more severe cases: confusion, hallucinations, paralysis, irregular heartbeat, hypothermia, or shock.

Quick safety tips

• Avoid eating potatoes that are very green, bitter, heavily sprouted, or have many “eyes.”

• If only small areas are green and the potato is otherwise firm, deeply peeling away the green and the sprouts can reduce risk, but discarding heavily green potatoes is the safest choice.

• Store potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place to slow greening and sprouting.

Bottom note

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.