In some markets and stores, buyers can come across not only potatoes intended for eating but also technical, that is, feed potatoes. Although there is interest in these potatoes due to their cheap price, unfortunately, they are not produced for food purposes and using them for eating is dangerous.
So how can buyers distinguish these potatoes?
Food expert İlkin Şirinov stated to Ölkə.az that recently various claims have been made about potatoes.
According to him, it is not lawful to convey any claim to people without laboratory tests, analyses, and studying the composition:
"Technical potatoes are not food. The sale of these potatoes for food purposes cannot be organized in markets or sold as food at counters. First of all, these potatoes are used for technical production purposes. They can be used as industrial raw materials. They can also be used in animal feed. But here, considering that animals are also living beings, certain rules must be followed.
These potatoes do not conform to food standards and are not intended for that. The main point is that the chemical substance load in these potatoes is excessively high, and in their cultivation, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides are used above the norm and applied in high doses. Also, depending on storage conditions, various changes occur when substances accumulate in these potatoes.
Potatoes intended for human consumption should be stored in different warehouses. It is necessary to consider that potatoes not intended for food should be stored in separate warehouses. Humidity, temperature, and other factors are not taken into account here. Also, labeling of these potatoes should be paid attention to. If such potatoes exist and are put up for sale, they should have a note stating "for technical purposes only".
The expert also noted that if these labels do not exist and potatoes are directly put up for sale, this puts consumers’ health at risk and violates food safety legislation:
"Furthermore, these kinds of potatoes give a bitter taste after cooking, almost all of them have similar sizes, and green areas appear under the skin. This is even observed after cooking.
The most important thing is that the potato contains a substance called solanine. What is solanine? When the potato is exposed to sunlight, its sprouting part gathers in one place, and a greening process occurs. Solanine gives the potato a bitter taste. This can also happen in natural potatoes, and sometimes people confuse it with technical potatoes. That is, they think it is a technical potato and it tastes bitter. No. When solanine is formed, it gives the natural potato a bitter taste. Using it can, of course, lead to gastrointestinal disorders.
What I want to emphasize is that people's approach to such products is completely correct. Because I myself have witnessed this. Two days ago, I encountered such an incident: when boiling a potato and tasting it, it literally gives a bitter taste, and green areas are visible under the skin. In recent months, people have repeatedly encountered such tastes and suspected that it was technical potato.
I would not want to believe that some unscrupulous people would attempt to sell technical potatoes as food. But the best option is that people get completely accurate information based on laboratory results."
