Reference
Chaconine
**Chaconine** (more precisely alpha-chaconine) is a steroidal glycoalkaloid produced naturally by the potato plant (*Solanum tuberosum*), and together with alpha-solanine it is one of the two principal glycoalkaloids found in potatoes.
Where chaconine comes from
Potato plants synthesize chaconine and solanine as part of their innate chemical defense against insects, fungi, and other pests. Concentrations are highest in the parts of the plant that most need protection: sprouts, the skin, the eyes, and any tissue that has turned green after light exposure. The two compounds occur together and are usually measured as a combined figure called total glycoalkaloids (TGAs).
Chaconine shares the same steroidal aglycone (solanidine) as solanine but carries a different sugar side chain, which is why the two are distinct molecules despite their close relationship. In most cultivated potatoes, chaconine is the more abundant of the pair.
Why glycoalkaloid levels matter
At high concentrations, glycoalkaloids are bitter and can cause gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms, which is why food-safety bodies cap their levels. The maximum recommended level of total glycoalkaloids — which includes both solanine and chaconine — in potatoes intended for human consumption is 200 mg/kg fresh weight (EFSA Journal, 2020). Ordinary table potatoes typically fall well below that threshold, and discarding green or sprouted portions reduces intake further.
Chaconine and potato protein isolate
Because chaconine and solanine are concentrated alongside the proteins in raw potato tissue, they are a relevant consideration whenever potato is used as a protein source. During the manufacture of potato protein isolate, the protein fraction is separated from the starch, fiber, and small-molecule compounds of the tuber, and the washing and purification steps that yield the isolate also remove the great majority of glycoalkaloids. The finished, purified protein is therefore distinct from whole potato in its glycoalkaloid content.
This is one of several reasons a single-ingredient potato protein isolate behaves so differently from the vegetable it starts as. For a fuller account of how the protein is extracted and what ends up in the final powder, see our guide to what potato protein is. Verified glycoalkaloid figures for any specific finished product belong on its certificate of analysis rather than being inferred from the raw crop.
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