mummified/Radiated potatoes?

Hi All,

Absent finding a forum in the maze of choices to post, I bought these Dole potatoes at Aldi's yesterday and cut one open to make some potato salad. The inside was like this, it appeared to look 100 yrs old with dusty cobwebs although there were no holes in the potato and the outside was fresh as could be.

I have read about companies trying radiating vegetables to extend their shelf life (so that they can get more profit in their shipments with less waste). They talked about this sort of central burn or 'mummifying'. Can anyone tell me if I'm just paranoid, and/or this is some kind of natural albeit unfortunate rot? I've quite lost my appetite, Thanks!



This message was edited Aug 5, 2007 9:53 PM

I've never seen this before in my life, but It looks frightening! I'm looking forward to more responses. Yet another reason to buy/grow organic. You never know what people are doing to the food we eat! Radiated potatoes?! Gosh...

I've seen that before. I can't remember how long ago it was that I first saw it, but it was probably 50 years or so. Most of the time the damaged area was not that large. I have no idea what causes it, but I am certain it is not caused by any kind of treatment to the potatoes.

Karen

I've seen it too. But like Karen said, it's usually small areas.. Some time 2 small area in a potatoe too..

That is "black heart" a physiological problem, usually associated with oxygen deprivation in storage. It does occurs in field where the soil is heavy and waterlogged as the potatoes mature. It does not differentiate between "organic" and conventional cultivation. http://nu-distance.unl.edu/Homer/disease/agron/Potato/PoBlHrt.html

Farmerdill,

Thank you for once again coming to the rescue with the answer. Now we all know.

Karen

I, too, have had this same thing happen a couple of times. Had an entire potato rotted out in the middle like this with no sign of the problem on the outside. I was both confused and disgusted! I thought maybe it was some kind of disease. As Karen said, now we know. Thanks again, Farmerdill...and jp1493 for asking the question. :)

Thanks. What was odd was, it looked as if the living potato had 'healed' around the spot. I couldn't understand how that could happen if it was radiated.
I was just thinking- had I made the traditional mashed potatoes (skinned, boiled and mashed in the pot) I might have unknowingly mixed the cryptato right in! Yukkkk!

I have been followed by jokes about making 'mummy tots' also. No thanks.

"Cryptato!" Ha! Love that word. I think we should petition to make that the official name of this malady. Glad for you that you didn't mistakenly ingest that!