No.

If you eat spoiled sugar cane with a red heart, it can cause death in severe cases. You should be especially careful when eating sugar cane before and after the Qingming Festival. There is a saying that 'Qingming sugarcane is more poisonous than snakes'.

When the climate is warm and humid, sugarcane is prone to mildew, and after the sugarcane becomes mildewed, reddish-brown stripes will appear inside, commonly known as "red heart sugarcane." This kind of sugarcane contains a neurotoxin that can indeed poison people.

According to information released by the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the pathogenic microorganism in moldy sugarcane is a fungus called Arthrosporium, which can produce a strong neurotropic toxin 3-nitrogen. Propionic acid can irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa and damage cranial nerves. Those who eat it may experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain in mild cases, or convulsions, respiratory failure, pulmonary edema, etc. in severe cases. In more serious cases, it may be fatal.

Extended information

Although sugarcane poisoning is very dangerous, identifying moldy sugarcane is very simple. Usually there are mold spots on the surface of moldy sugarcane, especially the signs of mold on the roots are more obvious.

Sugar cane is brown or red when cut, and sometimes fluffy hyphae can be seen. It tastes obviously alcoholic and tastes a bit sour. This is due to the fermentation of sugar by mold. Therefore, do not buy or eat sugarcane that is moldy or has abnormal appearance or taste, especially sugarcane sold in spring in the north.

Another reminder, the sugarcane juice freshly squeezed by street vendors is actually quite unhygienic, and it is difficult to identify whether it is poisonous sugarcane juice, so it is best not to buy it.

Xinhuanet-Beware of poisoning when eating sugar cane in spring

Shangguan News-A woman was poisoned after eating sugar cane. Should you never eat sugar cane with this characteristic? Not a rumor!