zucchini

Members of the plant family Cucurbitacea, which includes zucchini marrows pumpkins and cucumbers can contain toxins called cucurbitacins. These are chemically classified as steroids they defend the plants from predators, and have a bitter taste to humans Cultivated cucurbitaceae are bred for low levels of the toxin and are safe to eat However ornamental pumpkins can have high levels of cucurbitacins and such ornamental plants can cross-fertilize edible cucurbitaceae any such cross-fertilized seeds used by the gardener for growing food in the following season can therefore potentially produce bitter and toxic fruit Also dry weather conditions irregular watering can stress the plant and favor the production of the toxin The toxin is not destroyed by cooking. Humans with an impaired sense of taste particularly among the elderly should therefore ask a younger person to taste the zucchini for them In August 2015, a 79-year-old German man and his wife ate a zucchini grown by a neighbor The couple noted the unusually bitter taste Shortly afterwards they were both admitted to Heidenheim hospital apparently with symptoms of a gastrointestinal infection The wife who had eaten a smaller portion survived while the man died Toxicological analysis of the meal confirmed the presence of cucurbitacin Investigators warned that gardeners should not save their own seeds as reversion to forms containing more poisonous cucurbitacin might occur.