Does the phytohemagglutinin in green beans have certain toxins?
The natural toxin green beans, also known as kidney beans and beans, are cultivated all over China and are commonly used as cooking materials in catering industry. Green beans are rich in provitamin A and calcium, and Chinese medicine also believes that they have the effect of reducing swelling. However, green beans contain chemical components harmful to human body, which often causes poisoning. Kidney bean poisoning is mainly caused by saponin and phytohemagglutinin. Saponin has a strong stimulating effect on gastrointestinal mucosa and can destroy red blood cells to cause hemolysis. Phytohemagglutinin can coagulate and dissolve red blood cells. These two toxins can be destroyed by heating for a long time. The main symptoms of kidney bean poisoning are gastroenteritis, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness and headache. Some patients have chest tightness, palpitation, cold sweat, numbness of hands and feet, numbness of limbs and stomach cold. In order to prevent food poisoning of green beans, when cooking, it is advisable to soak green beans in boiling water for a few minutes, and then take them out before eating. When frying, it must be cooked thoroughly to completely destroy the toxin. In addition, soybean milk made from soybeans may also be poisoned by components such as trypsin inhibitor and saponin. Poisoning is characterized by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and sometimes dizziness and weakness. Therefore, when eating, the soybean milk should be boiled for several minutes and heated thoroughly to prevent unnecessary poisoning.