Brown spots in purple sweet potato
I've noticed that some of the Hawaiian/Okinawan purple sweet potatoes I boil will have brown spots inside the flesh, while others do not. What causes these brown spots? Are these safe to eat? I've tried to be careful when selecting the ones I get from the store, insuring there is no visible mold, discoloration, abrasions, or soft spots, yet I keep getting potatoes like this.
Brown spotted potato on left, normal color potato on right in the image.
Best Answer
Those dark spot could be either due to physical damage.
For instance like banana or potato, if you hit them too hard, they will "bruise". That could be one of the cause. The other cause you see dark spot in potato means it is starting to show sign of rotting. Usually potato that are about to spoil tend to have this dark spot. If you leave this potato uncooked with the dark spot for another few days, you would realize root will start growing and by then the potato is not recommended to be eaten. This happens in both normal, purple or sweet potato. So either you can choose to cut off the dark part away from the potato before eating or you can throw it away ( if you're very particular about things like that.
P.S : If you always pick potato like that, i recommend you giving suggestions to the shop where you are buying them from. Fresh potato will look like the one on the right. To be honest, some shop may buy "poorer quality of potato" at a cheaper price and pass it off as "fresh" potato, so do be careful about that too. Just my two cents, not generalizing shops that sell such potatos.
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Quick Answer about "Brown spots in purple sweet potato"
Researchers call this condition “internal necrosis.” It sounds grim, but you don't have to scrap your dinner plans. This is a quality issue, not a safety issue and with a good trim, the rest of an afflicted sweet potato should cook up just fine.Why is my purple sweet potato brown inside?
The inside of a rotten sweet potato is soft and will fall off. A dark brown or black skin clearly shows that the sweet potato has gone bad.Why do my purple potatoes have brown spots?
It is a condition called net necrosis, and it occurs when the potatoes grow under conditions that are too dry. The vascular system at the stem end of the potato begins to break down, causing this brown discoloration. This condition is not harmful.How can you tell if a purple sweet potato is bad?
Check the Standard Color: More importantly, check the outside color of your sweet potatoes. Usually, they have a white, purple, or red color. If you see their skin turn dark brown or black, they might start to spoil.Is it OK if sweet potatoes have black spots?
If your sweet potatoes have small black dots, they are still safe to eat. These can mean anything from bruising and oxidization to chemical reactions from cooking. However, if your sweet potato has deep black pits, that is a sign of rot and you should discard it.Why You Should Be Eating Purple Sweet Potatoes More Often
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Answer 2
It may be moisture rot, but it may also be dry rot. It happened to the tip of my purple potato too. Purple potato was the label in the organic grocer where I bought it it, for anyone thinking it was a yam.
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