Organic vs. traditional potato powder

Abstract

In this work the profile of primary metabolites in potato (Solanum tuberosum L., cultivar Agria) grown under organic vs traditional farming system was studied, and the influence of heat processing (for producing potato powder) on nutritionally important compounds such as essential amino acids, proteins and carbohydrates was evaluated. The potato powder was obtained by means of a drum dryer using different process parameters (temperature, time and product thickness) to minimise thermal damage on the final product. The effects of these different processes were evaluated by analysing also some other quality indicators, as final moisture, colour of the powder, and rheological properties of the rehydrated puree. Moreover, because of its potential cancerogenity and genotoxicity, acrylamide content was determined in the potato powder obtained and compared with that of its main precursors (asparagine and reducing sugars). The steam pressure of 0.2 MPa and 2 r.p.m. allowed to obtain potato powder with a lower acrylamide contents and still a very low water content that caused no microbiological safety problems. This powder, both from conventional and organic farming, when rehydrated, resulted in purees with minimal nutritional losses and colour and consistency very similar to the fresh ones.