Bleeding Sweet Potatoes?

[Jessica]

Tonight, I was preparing a dish that involves chunks of sweet potato. I cut up one potato (raw) and it started to "bleed" dots of some white substance. There was nothing on the knife and the other potato I used showed no such symptoms.

I threw out the first potato because I was not sure if it was safe to eat.

Does anyone know anything about this phenomenon? TIA

[Jessica]

Just one bump to see if anyone knows anything about this. tnx

[gertdog]

Hmmm. I've had this experience too... it's a substance kind of like that white milky stuff that appears on the base of a dandelion stem when you pick it. I
assumed it was starch or something.

I've eaten the sweet potatoes that had it and have come to no harm, but I'm curious to know if anyone knows what it *really* is. Maybe there's even a name for it, like we learned with chalaza (instead of "egg snot)! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[SusanT]

It's just the internal liquids mixed with a little of the starch and sugar and is nothing at all to worry about.

[Gail]

Gee, I thought somebody here was cussing about about sweet potatoes... "bleeding sweet potatoes" being a slighter nicer way of saying "bloody."

Never mind.