Texture of cooked potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). 2. Changes in pectin composition during storage of potatoes

During the storage season changes in the chemical composition of the pectin moiety of the cell walls of raw potatoes were studied. This compositional analysis was performed for the cultivars Nicola and Irene, which represent two extremes with regard to sensory-perceived texture. Both cultivars were divided into three size categories. From each size category a dry matter (DM) distribution was made. From these distributions potatoes at the low and high ends of this distribution were selected for further analysis. In total 12 different samples were analyzed three times during the storage season. The analysis comprised a pectin fractionation study. Pectic fractions were extracted from the cell wall material (CWM) by increasing the harshness of the extraction procedure. This resulted in a calcium-complexed pectic fraction, two pectic fractions weakly bound to the CWM, and a residue fraction, respectively. It was shown that no statistically significant differences (p > or = 0.95), either in yield or in chemical composition, could be observed between the two cultivars studied (Nicola and Irene), between sizes (large, medium, and small), and between potatoes with either high or low DM contents. However, statistically significant effects of storage both on the yield and on the chemical composition of the pectic moiety of the CWM could be observed, irrespective of cultivar, size, and DM content. Despite the substantial changes in the composition of the pectic moiety of the CWM of the raw material, no to minimal changes in the sensory-perceived texture of the cooked potatoes were observed upon storage. This suggests that the observed changes in pectin composition upon storage are overruled by other aspects that contribute more importantly to the sensory-perceived texture of steam-cooked potatoes.