What is it about potatoes that make them smell more putrid than other rotting vegetables? Or roots for that matter.
They are very high in starch, whereas most other root vegetables are high in sugar; this might provide an environment that is suitable for different types of mould/bacteria.
Another factor that has just occurred to me is that potatoes seem to retain their water content for longer than many other root vegetables (perhaps because of the dryish conditions in which they originate).
Another food item that has a putrid odor, as I have discovered from cleaning out the back of the fridge, is old rice. Also high in starch. What about other high starch foods such as plantains ?
Now I remember from my food hygiene course that there’s a particular type of bacteria that loves to grow on cooked rice (possibly starchy things in general) and can cause very bad food poisoning, the symptoms of which can occur literally seconds after eating it.
The name of the bacterium escapes me; anyone?