Why You Should Handle Squash With Care
Fall is a great time to eat more squash, and why not? Squash are decorative, tasty and quite good for you. Edible members of the genus Cucurbita are rich in Vitamins A and C, fiber and various carotenoids. Carotenoids not only make squash pleasantly yellow or orange, but they have anti-oxidant properties. Diets rich in carotenoids are associated with enhanced immune systems and a lower risk of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, cataracts, atherosclerosis and age-related macular degeneration.
The benefits of squash-eating are many, but there are risks too. Food handlers and cooks often wear protective rubber gloves when preparing squash because of the risk of squash-related contact dermatitis. And you thought you had enough to worry about, didn’t you? Uncooked, cut squash can trigger an allergic reaction, causing the skin the turn red, itch, peel and blister. This reaction is most likely caused by cucurbitacins, toxic chemicals squash produce to defend against herbavores. The blisters or hives usually disappear after a day, but if you want to avoid it altogether, be particularly wary around varieties of C. moschata, including butternut squash, Kentucky field pumpkin and calabaza pumpkin.
If you are not sensitive to cucurbitacins, you still might want to don some gloves, because the sticky sap exuded by squash can cause a condition commonly known as “squash hand.” Cutting into squash releases a thick, sticky sap. The sap is another defensive compound used to seal up wounded tissues by forming a hard, plastic-like film. On the fingers of an unwary cook, the sap pulls and cracks, damaging skin in the process. It’s also incredibly difficult to remove without taking a few hundred skin cells along for the ride.
So this Fall, eat squash; it’s good for you, only remember to wear appropriate PPE.
Brian Rutter, PhD, is the cofounder of Thing in a Pot Productions and a postdoctoral researcher in plant biology at Indiana University. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our “Things About Things – Odd Facts About Plants” and video production tips in your inbox every month!
Works Cited:
Potter, Thomas S., and Ken Hashimoto. "Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) dermatitis." Contact dermatitis 30.2 (1994).
Jacobo-Valenzuela, Noelia, et al. "Physicochemical, technological properties, and health-benefits of Cucurbita moschata Duchense vs. Cehualca: A Review." Food Research International 44.9 (2011): 2587-2593.
