High temperature storage of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) for processing--a feasibility study

Tubers of three potato cultivars were stored at room temperature (20-39 degrees C, 30-75% RH), under an insulated storage run on passive evaporative cooling (16-30 degrees C, 70-90% RH) and a refrigerated storage (2-4 degrees C, 90-95% RH) for 14 weeks and studied periodically for storage losses, reducing sugar content and dry matter percent of tubers, in order to explore the possibility of storing potatoes for processing at higher temperatures. Physiological losses in tubers remained less than 10% until 12 weeks of storage under evaporatively cooled storage. Reducing sugar contents increased by only 52.4-242.1% in tubers stored in evaporatively cooled storage as compared to 90.5-484.2% increase in tubers stored in refrigerated storage until 14 weeks. Potatoes stored in evaporatively cooled store were more suitable for processing into chips and french fries due to lower physiological losses and lower reducing sugar content of tubers.