The Impact of Post-Harvest Potato Storage on (Deep-Fried) Potato Mash Properties

This study investigated whether storage changes the composition of Fontane and Challenger potatoes, including their starch characteristics, and whether these changes impact the properties of (deep-fried) mashes made from these potatoes stored for up to eight months. Fontane mashes showed an increase in firmness and viscoelasticity when potatoes were stored for a longer time. Moreover, when deep-fried mashes were made with Fontane potatoes, more water evaporated during deep frying and the resultant oil content increased as a function of the storage duration of the potatoes used to make them. This was not observed in mashes made from Challenger potatoes. Since the potato composition, starch characteristics and molecular mobility in mashes were minimally impacted by potato storage for both cultivars, it is assumed that storage-induced changes in potato cell walls and/or pectin methyl esterase activity contribute to the observed differences between deep-fried mashes made from fresh versus stored Fontane potatoes. The acquired insights help understand how potato storage can impact the properties of (deep-fried) potato mash-based products and highlight the potential to mitigate storage-induced declines in product quality by selecting cultivars based on the potato storage time.