Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) grown at “Patata dell'alto Viterbese” PGI have different quality characteristics and storage responses

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Four pre-selected potato cultivars (Solanum tuberosum L.) from the “Patata dell’Alto Viterbese” PGI area underwent physico-chemical and enzymatic characterization to assess their suitability for specific processing line. Key chemical parameters (reducing sugar content (RSC), total phenol content (TPC), dry matter (DM), physical attributes (firmness), physico-chemical aspects (color, browning development), and enzymatic factors (polyphenol oxidase enzyme activity, PPO) were analyzed at harvest and monthly during a 6-month storage period over two production seasons (2020 and 2021). The results of one-way within-subject ANOVA and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) highlighted the superior attributes of the ‘Fontane’ cultivar for the processing industry, particularly for frying applications (e.g., chips, French fries, etc.). In comparison to other tested cultivars, ‘Fontane’ exhibited: i) the highest DM (> 200 g kg−1), ii) the lowest TPC and RSC, iii) the greatest firmness, iv) low susceptibility to browning, and v) high tolerance to Low-Temperature Sweetening (LTS). The ‘Jelly’ cultivar displayed favorable attributes for versatile use, suitable for both fresh market uses (roasting, homemade “gnocchi”, etc.) and industrial applications (fresh-cut or dried potato). It demonstrated high DM content (200 g kg−1) and firmness, the lowest PPO activity, good TPC, but higher RSC than ‘Fontane’. However, elevated RSC for ‘Jelly’ renders it less suitable for industrial frying. ‘Constance’ and ‘Gaudi’ exhibited positive traits for fresh market use such as boiling and steaming, with moderate to low DM content and firmness. Nonetheless, both cultivars displayed low tolerance to LTS, and ‘Gaudi’ exhibited the poorest processing properties, showing the highest susceptibility to browning.