Tag: Ipomeamarone

While regular potatoes contain the toxin solanine when green or sprouted, sweet potatoes belong to a completely different botanical family, the morning glory family. The good news for home cooks and gardeners is that, in their healthy state, sweet potato roots are not poisonous, though certain conditions can render them unsafe to eat.

Over decades of research, scientists have identified a class of toxic compounds called furanoterpenoids, primarily ipomeamarone, which are the culprits behind sweet potato poisoning. These toxins are not present in fresh, healthy sweet potatoes but are produced by the plant in response to stress, most notably fungal infections.