Composition of Four Potato Cultivars in Relation to Cold Storage and Reconditioning

Abstract

`Atlantic', `BelRus', `Kennebec', and `Superior' potatoes (Solarium tuberosum L.) were evaluated for ascorbic acid, soluble protein, and sugar content (reducing and nonreducing) at harvest, after 6 weeks of storage at 3C, and after 2 weeks of reconditioning at 25C. At harvest, ascorbic acid and soluble protein contents varied among the cultivars, with `Superior' containing the highest ascorbic acid (154 mg/100 g dry weight) and soluble protein content (46.4 mg·g−1 dry weight). Cold storage resulted in a drastic reduction (±50%) in ascorbic acid content in all four cultivars. Ascorbic acid also decreased during reconditioning of tubers, but the reduction was less than during cold storage. In contrast, soluble protein contents were not influenced significantly by cold storage or reconditioning, except for `BelRus' and `Kennebec', which had less protein after reconditioning. At harvest, glucose, fructose, and sucrose contents were at similar levels in all cultivars, except for fructose in `Kennebec', which was more than 2-fold higher. `Kennebec' also had a significantly lower specific gravity than the other cultivars. However, unlike the other cultivars, reconditioning of `Kennebec' tubers did not affect its specific gravity or total sugar content. Data suggest that `Kennebec's' poor processing quality may have resulted from a combination of low specific gravity and high total sugar content.