Is it a rumor that tomatoes contain toxic solanine? Expert: Safe to eat both raw and cooked
It is tomato season now, but rumors circulating online that raw tomatoes contain a highly toxic substance called "solanine" have long been troubling hard-working farmers. Experts debunked the rumor today: the alkaloids in tomatoes differ from the solanine in potatoes, and no case of poisoning or death from eating tomatoes has ever been found, so the public can eat tomatoes with peace of mind.
The Council of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and Welfare jointly held a press conference today and invited toxicology experts to clarify that the alkaloids contained in tomatoes are non-toxic, asking the public not to believe rumors and to shop with confidence.
Wang Shih-hsien, director of the Council of Agriculture's Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, said that as early as 2003 someone made a video claiming tomatoes contain a toxic substance and posted it online, and now the rumor is spreading wildly again, with consumers canceling orders one after another, leaving tomato farmers crying out in distress.
"The alkaloids in tomatoes are actually very safe substances," Wang pointed out. Solanaceous plants contain different alkaloids, a defense mechanism used to protect unripe fruit from being eaten by animals and insects. Although the entire tomato plant contains alkaloids, especially the most in the roots and stems, the content drops once the fruit ripens, and no cases of poisoning have been seen so far, making it quite safe whether eaten raw or cooked.
Ge Chin, attending physician in the Division of Clinical Toxicology and Occupational Medicine at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said the alkaloid contained in tomatoes is tomatine, which differs in molecular structure from the solanine in potatoes. Sprouted potatoes contain more solanine, and eating them may cause numbness in the mouth and discomfort, but the alkaloids contained in raw tomatoes do not harm the human body; eating a lot at most causes abdominal pain, and with cherry tomatoes you would have to eat 20 boxes at once to feel unwell.
Ge Chin said tomatoes are highly nutritious, containing vitamins A and B, and are also low in calories at only 26 calories per 100 grams. Currently no cases of poisoning after eating tomatoes have been reported in the country, so the public can eat them with confidence.
