Development of kinetic models for prediction of reducing sugar content in potatoes using literature data on multiple potato varieties

Abstract

Reducing sugar (RS) content in potatoes beyond a certain limit leads to browning of chips and the formation of acrylamide (carcinogen). The data for RS vs time at different storage temperatures was collected for 51 potato varieties. Out of these, 16 varieties with RS data available for at least three temperatures were used for development of two models (A and B). Model A consisted of two equations (linear, log) fitted to RS data of entire storage duration for each potato variety and most of these equations had R2adj in the range 0.75–0.95. Model B consisted of a common linear equation form fitted to data of 100 days (where most of the change occurs) with R2 value 0.7–0.98. The activation energy for most of the varieties was in the range of −120 to −300 kJ/mol. Considering the wide variation in the rate of sugar accumulation, potato varieties were categorized as Cold-resistant (CR) and Cold-sensitive (CS) and two separate model equations were developed. These models were validated using data collected through in-house experiments and literature data. The models predicted RS of different potato varieties with Root Mean Square Error of 0.02–3 g/kg FW (Fresh Weight) and Accuracy factor below 1.8.