As of: March 6, 2024, 6:30 p.m
By: Anne Hund
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The potato looks perfect from the outside, but a so-called black spot has formed under the peel?
Then the storage could also be to blame.
Anyone who likes to cook potato dishes frequently has probably already experienced it: the stored potato looks perfect on the outside.
But after peeling, you discover bruises that have turned dark.
“Gray, blue or black spots are usually caused by physiological disorders, pressure points in storage in spring and impacts!” explains the Bavarian State Agricultural Institute about such so-called black spotting, which influences the internal quality of the potato.
Have the potatoes been stored correctly and carefully?
The result sometimes only becomes apparent when peeling.
(Symbolic image) © Darekb22/Panthermedia/Imago
Bruises on potatoes: is it enough to cut them away?
“Mechanical stress is usually to blame for this so-called black spot,” says Daniela Krehl, nutrition expert at the Bavarian Consumer Center, in an online report by
Bayern1.
What can happen, for example, if the potatoes are roughly tipped into a storage container, as the
BR
article explains - or if the tubers are pressed or squeezed in some other way.
Sometimes it can also be due to incorrect storage.
“Especially if the potato is stored at temperatures above 6 degrees, it dries out quickly.
This increases the susceptibility to black spot,” says the nutrition expert.
“The dark spots described may not look appetizing – they are not a health concern,” she says in the
Bayern1 report.
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Evidence of rot?
“Immediately remove” affected tubers
However, dark areas should be cut out generously or removed by peeling.
“All visible defects that can be peeled or cut away have no negative impact on the quality of the potato,” informs the
Bavarian State Agricultural Institute
on its website.
But be careful with rotten areas.
“Discolored dents and decomposing tissue are indications of rot, which is often noticeable through an unpleasant smell,” explains the authority, among other things.
Unpleasantly smelling, wet and already infected tubers should be “removed immediately”.
The authority also recommends consumers to only store dry potatoes, to prevent bruising and to store the potatoes “dark, well ventilated, at approx. 5-8 °C and high humidity”.
Thanks to proper storage, you can also prevent potatoes from starting to germinate.