A few days ago, the Internet spread madly that the tomato contained nicotine, which caused many people to panic. Experts have counter-rumour that the nicotine content in tomatoes is very small, which is incomparable with cigarettes. Let's talk about nicotine in various foods.

Nicotine is a highly toxic ingredient. From a young age, I saw in the popular science book that a lively horse, as long as 8 drops of nicotine can be injected intravenously, can kill it; the nicotine contained in a cigarette is extracted and injected into the mouse will kill it. . The smell of cigarettes will keep various animals and insects away because they instinctively know that tobacco is poisonous. However, nicotine is also a strong addictive ingredient, and smokers are so obsessed with smoke mainly because of it. It is exciting and calming. It raises high blood pressure and is harmful to cardiovascular.

Among the Solanaceae plants, there are many varieties that are loved and cultivated by humans , such as delicious eggplants, tomatoes and sweet peppers, seasoned darling peppers, and potatoes that are regarded as staple food by Europeans.

Even though the nicotine content in these vegetables is extremely low, there are always people who are worried about "what if a small amount of toxic substances accumulate for a long time". In fact, there is no need to worry, because nicotine metabolizes and degrades very quickly in the human body. Otherwise, it is impossible to understand why smokers inhale so much smoke every day. If the nicotine in the daily smoke is extracted for intravenous injection, the number far exceeds the lethal amount and can survive for decades. It is precisely because nicotine is taken in small amounts at a time, and then quickly detoxifies metabolism.

Recent studies have shown that some mushrooms contain higher levels of nicotine. Research data received by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) proves that the concentration of nicotine in wild mushrooms such as boletus and truffles is as high as 0.5 mg/kg. However, further studies have found that the nicotine in it is a natural metabolite of the fungus itself, and is not a residual residue of nicotine pesticides. Given the small daily intake of fungi, nicotine is unlikely to pose a threat to human health.