Solanine is indeed poisonous

First of all, it is true that there is solanine in eggplant. Solanine is widely found in the nightshade family, not just in eggplants. However, for foods such as eggplant, which contain solanine in all plant organs, the solanine content is affected by factors such as the location, variety, and maturity of the plant organs. According to experiments, the solanine content of eggplant fruits is significantly higher than that of other organs; the solanine content of purple eggplants is extremely significantly higher than that of green eggplants; the solanine content of immature eggplants is much higher than that of mature eggplants; the solanine content of the pulp Much higher than the peel and fruit base...

At the same time, solanine is indeed poisonous. In fact, if I tell you the other name of solanine, you will suddenly realize it. Solanine is also called solanine. That's right, it's the toxins in the sprouted potatoes. Therefore, solanine is also present in sprouted and green potatoes and immature tomatoes.

The main symptoms of solanine poisoning are throat itching, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, etc. In severe cases, tinnitus, dehydration, coma, weak pulse, and difficulty breathing may occur. The reason is that solanine has a hemolytic effect, destroys red blood cells, and also stimulates mucous membranes, causing cerebral congestion and edema, causing sudden drops in blood pressure, paralysis of the central nervous system and respiratory system, etc.

Do not eat raw eggplants

Since solanine is toxic, can eggplants still be eaten? It’s still the same sentence: If you want to talk about consumption, you must first talk about toxicity; if you want to talk about toxicity, you must first talk about dosage.

In general, adults will be poisoned after consuming 0.2-0.4g of solanine. We calculate based on 0.2g, the average content of solanine in every gram of purple eggplant is 0.61mg, and the average content of solanine in every gram of green eggplant is 0.19mg. In this calculation, eating at least 328g of purple eggplant or 1052g of green eggplant will cause poisoning. . That is to say, eating one and a half purple eggplants or four green eggplants raw will cause poisoning.

Yes, when eating eggplant raw. Therefore, those boys and girls who want to eat raw fruits and vegetables to lose weight, please pay attention. We should cook the raw eggplant before eating it, and do not add it to the salad.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about solanine poisoning in normally cooked eggplants.

The correct way to eat eggplant

So how to eat eggplant with peace of mind? Chinese cooking is extensive and profound, such as fish-flavored eggplant, stir-fried eggplant with sauce, braised eggplant, ground three delicacies... China has had so many eggplant delicacies for thousands of years that you can eat them as usual. However, for the sake of food safety, everyone should pay attention to the following points when eating eggplant.

First of all, when it comes to material selection, it is recommended that you choose mature eggplants. As for whether green eggplant or purple eggplant is better, don’t worry too much. Although the solanine content of green eggplant is lower than that of purple eggplant, the solanine content of purple eggplant is not high. Unless you eat a pound at a time, there is no risk of poisoning.

Secondly, you can add a little vinegar when cooking eggplant. Although solanine is insoluble in water, it can be hydrolyzed into solanine and sugar when heated with dilute acid, which is much safer.

Finally, the key to eating eggplant safely is not to listen to rumors. When "Master" Zhang Wuben once advocated that everyone eat eggplant raw, many friends did not follow suit and were very clever. But after avoiding Zhang Wuben, can we still avoid rumors on social networks such as WeChat Moments? For example, those "pseudo-science articles" such as "Eggplants are non-toxic if they are removed from the stems and can be safely eaten if they are peeled" are completely nonsense. In fact, eggplant pulp contains much more solanine than eggplant skin and eggplant pedicles.

Misbelief in rumors may cause direct harm to health, especially for pregnant women. Do not believe in eating raw eggplants and "eggplants are non-toxic if the stems are removed". Although the toxicological mechanism of solanine is not completely clear, it is currently found that solanine may have certain placental toxicity, neuroteratogenicity and potential genotoxicity in mice