The lesser-known danger of the potato that is rarely talked about

The Little-Known Danger of the Rotten Potato - It gives off a deadly gas that kills in minutes!

by

Last updated August 19, 2023 at 02:57 AM

Discover the horrifying story of a family decimated by rotten potatoes. These are silent killers that you won't suspect in your kitchen!

The potato is one of the most consumed foods in the world and has many benefits.

Unfortunately, it presents risks, one of which is particularly deadly.

Subscribe to our newsletter ! It's free !

The unrecognized danger of the rotten potato: a deadly gas that kills in minutes!

The horrifying story of a family decimated by rotten potatoes

To start, nothing beats little sad story that happened in 2013 in a Russian family.

A family used to stock potatoes in the summer for the winter period. One day, the father went to the storage depot to get the few potatoes the family needed. He never came back.

After a long time, his worried wife went to the depot to find her husband in complete darkness. She never came back too.

This is how all the members of the family up to the children went to never come back. Only the grandmother had asked for help before going to meet the same tragic end as her family.

Before the help came, the youngest of 8 years, went in search of her parents, lay dying in front of the entrance to the potato storage depot.

What really happened?

The potato stored for the winter has rotten. The tuber in this state gives off a very deadly gas which can almost instantly kill any living being that breathes it. The members of this family of 5, including an 8-year-old girl, were victims of this gas.

The 8-year-old girl was able to survive this horror thanks to her grandmother, who on her way had not closed the door of the entrance to the depot. The effect of the gas emitted by the rotten potatoes would have diminished according to the police.

The little girl found herself an orphan when she woke up. Neighbors and family friends are currently taking care of her.

The unrecognized danger of the rotten potato

Potatoes contain toxic components known as glycoalkaloids. When it is consumed beyond a certain threshold (3 mg would have been enough), the individual can manifest various types of disorder until they even die.

These types of components are very common in plants and vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants and peppers.

The most prevalent in potato are solanine and chaconine.

Solanine is also found in deadly poisonous plants such as those used to make tobacco. This toxin typically attacks the nervous system causing confusion, weakness, headaches, coma and even death.

A high concentration of solanine is often found in leaves, stems, shoots and even fruits.

The level of glycoalkaloid concentration increases considerably if the fruit or vegetable is exposed to light, ages, rots, or begins to germinate.

A large amount of this toxin is found under the skin of potatoes and certain fruits.

In the case of the potato, when it rots, the rate of the glycoalkaloid is so strong that it releases a very toxic gas which can instantly kill the victims who breathe it.




How to treat the potato and avoid poisoning?

Plants naturally contain a certain amount of glycoalkaloid which grows under the same conditions mentioned in the previous section.

The reason why we rarely get sick after eating these vegetables is in the preparation and cooking of vegetables. The potato is no exception to the rule either.

To preserve and consume the potato without risk of poisoning, it is necessary following the advice of an expert of passportsante.net:

  • Keep the potato away from light, in a well-ventilated and dry place. This reduces the formation of glycoalkaloid
  • Cut and discard all parts of the green potato, germinating or rotting. If the potato is completely affected by one of these things, you should throw it out, mercilessly.
  • The germs, as well as the flesh around the head of the apple cannot be eaten.
  • We have seen that glycoalkaloids are the most concentrated under the skin of the potato. It is therefore important to peel it to reduce the concentration of the toxin.
  • If you like to eat raw potato, stop immediately if it tastes bitter or you feel burning in your mouth.

Source:

  • https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2409920/Russian-girl-8–orphaned-ENTIRE-family-wiped-deadly-gas-caused-rotting-potatoes-cellar.html
  • https://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Communaute/ReponsesExpert/Question/solanine-et-pomme-de-terre-16445

The gist of the lesser-known dangers of the rotten potato post

Can rotten potatoes kill?

The Rotten Potato emits deadly solaline gas that can knock its victim unconscious and kill them within minutes.

What are the effects of solaline gas from rotten potato

In common cases, the gas emitted by the rotten potato is very foul smelling and can cause neurological and gastric disorders. It ranges from nausea, dizziness and headaches to more serious disorders like hallucinations, paralysis and even death.

How do you know if a potato is rotten?

Rotten potatoes can be soft or watery, they can have green spots on the surface of its pulpit or they can be in sprouted form. It is advisable to discard the whole apple rather than cutting off the damaged part.

Generally a very firm potato is good to eat. If you find a part has sprouted, you (sometimes) just cut it off and throw it away. But avoid those that are sprouted all over the place.

Can we eat a sprouted potato?

It all depends on the degree of germination, if it is just a small sprout of nothing at all, it would be enough to cut it. If the sprout is advanced or over the entire surface of the potato, it would be better to bury it in your garden.

Subscribe to our newsletter ! It's free !

The lesser-known danger of the potato that is rarely talked about




ON THE SAME TOPIC