Can potatoes be eaten after being stored for a long time?

Potatoes are a food that many people love to eat. Potatoes have many benefits to the human body and taste good. Potatoes can be eaten with many foods. If potatoes are stored for a long time, they may become moldy, green, sprout, etc., which will make them not delicious. Potatoes must be stored in a proper way, otherwise they will deteriorate, which would be a pity. So, can potatoes be eaten after being stored for a long time? Let’s take a look at it next.

1. Can potatoes be eaten after being stored for a long time?

If it is not spoiled (moldy, green, rotten, or sprouted), it can be eaten. Potatoes will sprout, turn green, and become moldy if stored for a long time, so you must master the correct storage method. The potatoes you buy home should not be placed in a high temperature or humid place, and it is best not to squeeze them together with other fruits and vegetables, as this will not be conducive to preservation.

2. Can potatoes still be eaten if they become soft?

If you find any that have sprouted, have green skin, or are soft or black, you cannot eat them. Such potatoes contain solanine. Solanine is a toxic substance. When potatoes are intact, its content is very low. However, once they sprout or turn green, the solanine content will increase by 5-6 times, and it is particularly concentrated in the sprouts, eyes, skin and rotten areas. Eating potatoes that have sprouted and turned green can cause poisoning. Solanine is highly irritating to the gastrointestinal mucosa, has a paralyzing effect on the respiratory center, has a hemolytic effect on blood cells, and can cause symptoms such as cerebral edema and congestion.

3. How long can fresh potatoes be kept?

01. Potatoes must be carefully selected before storage, and those that are diseased, rotten, injured, spotted, or damp must be removed.

02. Put the potatoes into breathable mesh bags, sacks, straw bags, baskets padded with paper or cartons, and store them in a cool, ventilated place away from light at home; put an apple in the bag or box of potatoes to control the sprouting of potatoes. Ripe apples release a plant hormone called ethylene, which promotes the ripening of plant fruits and the shedding of organs. When potatoes and apples are placed together, the ethylene produced by apples will inhibit the production of auxin by cells in the potato eye buds. The auxin will not accumulate to a sufficient concentration and the potatoes will naturally not germinate. Ripe bananas should also have this effect.

03. You can also wrap the potatoes in plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator, but this method not only wastes refrigerator space, but the money you spend on the potatoes is often not enough to cover the electricity bill.

04. Turn and check potatoes regularly, and remove diseased, rotten or bad potatoes at any time.

4. How to store potatoes

1. First, put the fresh potatoes you bought into a cardboard box, and then put a few green apples into the box. The ethylene emitted by the green apples can keep the potatoes fresh during the storage period.

2. Prevent exposure to the sun. Potatoes like coolness and fear heat, so don't expose them to the sun.

3. Anti-moisture. Too much humidity and poor ventilation will cause potatoes to rot. It should be placed in the corner of the room, and it is best to put a layer of sand underneath.

4. Prevent high temperature. Potatoes are easy to sprout under high temperatures. The most suitable temperature is 2 to 4 degrees. If it is higher, they will sprout.

5. Prevent clutter. Do not put it together with other vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and other vegetables that are prone to mildew.