Abstract
Understanding the nature of the perceived quality advantage of organically-grown early crop potatoes over conventionally-grown ones is of relevance given the expansion in demand for foodstuffs produced by environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The effect of the cultivation system (organic vs. conventional) on physicochemical (skin color, firmness, skin thickness, pH, titratable acidity), nutritional (dry matter, ascorbic acid, total phenolics content, antioxidant activity), and sensorial (for boiled and fried tubers) traits of early potatoes were explored in a field trial conducted during two-seasons in Sicily (Southern Italy) and involving five yellow-fleshed genotypes. The organic cultivation system, averaged across seasons and genotypes, produced tubers displaying a more attractive skin color, with higher skin thickness and firmness, higher dry matter content (19.0 vs. 17.9%), and total phenolics content (350 vs. 232 mg GAE 100 g−1 dry weight) but lower ascorbic acid content (76 vs. 103 mg 100 g−1 dry weight) and antioxidant activity (42 vs. 56% DPPH reduction). The organic cultivation did not affect attributes after boiling but improved all sensory attributes (crispness, typical taste, and browning degree) after frying, highlighting that the superiority of the organic potatoes does not cover all aspects of quality. The positive effects of organic cultivation on physicochemical, nutritional, and sensorial quality were particularly evident in Arinda, Ditta, and ISCI 4F88. Even if the response of organic cultivation on overall quality also depended upon seasonal conditions, cultivar choice plays a key role in optimizing this production system, highlighting the importance of breeding programs.
Highlights
The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a very important crop as a staple food in the Mediterranean Basin, occupying an overall area of approximately one million ha and producing 28 million tons of tubers [1], mainly as off-season product in the period from March to June to take advantage of the early crop potato market [2]
Organic cultivation compared to conventional significantly decreased ascorbic acid content and antioxidant activity and did not affect sensorial traits after boiling, highlighting that the superiority of organic potatoes does not concern all aspects of quality
The quality of the tuber was under genetic control: Arinda, Ditta, and ISCI4F88 were the cultivars that recorded the best performance under the organic cultivation system
Summary
The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a very important crop as a staple food in the Mediterranean Basin, occupying an overall area of approximately one million ha and producing 28 million tons of tubers [1], mainly as off-season product in the period from March to June to take advantage of the early crop potato market [2]. The agronomical practices used in organic production systems are significantly different compared to conventional ones and may result in altering qualitative parameters [7] In this respect, controversial data have been published concerning sensory quality of cooked tubers [8,17,18]. Understanding the effects of organic cultivation on the sensory profile of cooked tubers would be important for early potato growers who could differentiate their products to match the demand of the national and international market and improve their commercial value. The present research aimed to evaluate the effects, over two years, of the cultivation system (organic vs conventional) on the physicochemical and nutritional quality of the raw material and the sensory profile of cooked tubers of different genotypes from early potato crops
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