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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fargo, North Dakota » Edward T. Schafer Agricultural Research Center » Sugarbeet and Potato Research » Research » Research Project #427996

Research Project: Improved Potato Market Quality Through Germplasm Processing Evaluations and Optimized Storage Technologies

Location: Sugarbeet and Potato Research

2016 Annual Report


Objectives
To cooperate with potato breeders, producers, and processors to improve post harvest potato quality by reducing storage and processing losses. A major portion of this effort involves the evaluation of storage and processing characteristics of promising new varieties and advanced germplasm developed and submitted by U.S. potato breeding programs. Identify new genotypes with the ability to process directly from a storage temperature of less than 7 degree C. Identify optimum storage conditions for new cold-sweetening resistant germplasm. Identify new germplasm exhibiting enhanced vitamin C content. The specific objectives are: Objective 1: Determine the effects of postharvest storage on process quality and nutritional composition of advanced breeding lines in collaboration with public potato breeding programs. Sub-objective 1.1: Determine storage and processing characteristics of advanced breeding lines. Sub-objective 1.2: Screen advanced potato breeding lines for cold storage potential. Objective 2: Determine the total antioxidant and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) contents of advanced breeding clones at harvest and during temperature-controlled storage.


Approach
This research project is a service project that provides standardized storage, processing and analysis of advanced breeding clones submitted by public potato breeding programs. All protocols, storage conditions, and analytical methods used have been standardized in accordance with current industry practices and are therefore invariant. Specific approaches include: 1) storage, processing and evaluation of new breeding lines, 2) determine cold storage potential of selected clones and cultivars, and 3) determine total antioxidant and vitamin C contents of advanced breeding clones at harvest and during storage.


Progress Report
Variations in potato process product quality for chips and fries due to disease and sugar accumulation result in major storage losses costing producers and processors hundreds of millions of dollars annually. In continuation of our program to evaluate the storage and processing characteristics of promising new potato clones, cooperative research is maintained among public university potato breeding programs from 10 states (ND, MN, WI, MI, ID, ME, NC, NY, TX and CO) and two USDA-ARS programs. In the past year, over 12,500 individual quality evaluations were performed on elite potato lines following storage under defined conditions. This direct selection process will speed the introduction of new potato cultivars with superior processing characteristics.


Accomplishments
1. Potato post-harvest quality evaluations and release of new potato cultivars. Acceptable processing quality after storage is an essential attribute of a successful potato variety. The standardized evaluation procedures developed and used by scientists at the ARS Potato Research Worksite in East Grand Forks, Minnesota have been an important component of the overall process evaluation and release of new cultivars by federal and state cooperators nationwide. In the past year, in support of federal and non-federal public breeding/screening programs, over 12,500 individual samples of advanced breeding lines were analyzed for storage/processing quality. Nutritional (vitamin C) and anti-nutritional components (glycoalkaloid) were also assessed among promising new varieties. Data from these analyses will contribute to the release of new potato varieties. These improved varieties offer significant benefits to both producers and processors and should be widely adopted by the potato industry.

2. Potato cultivars with reduced acrylamide content identified. Acrylamide is an unwanted and potentially toxic by-product produced when carbohydrate-rich foods are processed at high temperatures. As part of the $7.8 million Specialty Crops Research Initiative Acrylamide Reduction project and in cooperation with publically funded plant breeders and the potato industry, the postharvest storage and processing qualities of 56 advanced clones grown WA, ID, ND, WI, and ME have been evaluated for process quality, asparagine content and acrylamide levels using the standardized storage, processing, and evaluation procedures developed by the East Grand Forks Potato Research Worksite. Several clones exhibiting excellent processing characteristics and very low acrylamide levels have been identified. These clones will be evaluated in more detailed trials and may be candidates to replace currently used varieties in the commercial production of processed potato products. Eventual adoption of these clones and consequent reduction in the acrylamide content of potato products will benefit both producers and consumers.


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