It’s not a waste! Why are potato sprouts so valuable?

Potato sprouts are more than just a vegetable; they are a precious gift, so they cost a lot of money.

Have you ever bought potatoes with sprouts? Most of us throw them away, thinking they are no longer fit to eat. But now scientists are investigating whether it is possible to eat potatoes with sprouts.

If we don’t use potatoes, we buy them immediately but leave them in the kitchen; they will soften and sprout. Many people think that this means that potatoes are no longer fit to eat. This means that hundreds of thousands of healthy-looking potatoes with sprouts are thrown away every year.

However, food scientists at the University of Lincoln have found that potatoes with sprouts are just as valuable as potatoes without them. They tested 802 2.5kg bags of potatoes from six different supermarkets. They found that sprouting potatoes is difficult to prevent. The chances of the vegetables sprouting within a week of purchase, even if they have been stored in a dark, dry, and cool place, are exactly 50:50. Dr. Chris Bishop, who led the study, told the Daily Mail that the main reason potatoes are thrown away is the sprouts. “When we peel potatoes, we create waste. “We probably clean them too often,” said Dr Bishop. However, scientists at the University of Lincoln say that potato sprouts are okay to eat, provided the sprouts are removed first. This can be done quickly with a small knife. The rest of the vegetables will taste just like regular potatoes.