GLYCOALKALOIDS IN POTATO TUBERS: THE EFFECT OF PEELING AND COOKING IN SALTED WATER

The important glycoalkaloidsin potatoes are α- solanineand α- chaconine. Their natural function is probably to serve as stress metabolites or phytoalexinsfor the protection of the potato when attacked by insects, fungi, etc. They contribute flavour to potatoes but at higher concentrations cause bitterness and are toxic to humans. α- Solanineand α- chaconineappear to have two main toxic actions, one on cell membranes and another one on acetylcholinesterase. Symptoms of α- solanine/α- chaconinepoisoning involve an acute gastrointestinal upsetwith diarrhea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain. An instrumental high-performance thin-layer chromatography(HPTLC) method was applied for the quantification of α- solanineand α- chaconinein peeled potato skin, raw potato pulp and cooked peeled potato tubers. The limit of quantification (LOQ) for α- solanineand α- chaconinewas found to be 5.0 mg kg −1 for each glycoalkaloid. In this study the factors of potential loss of α- solanineand α- chaconinein potato tubers du...