Color, carotenoid content and sensory perceptions in potato germplasm from the Colorado Potato Breeding and Selection Program
Date
2014
Authors
Larson, Katie Mae, author
Holm, David, advisor
Jayanty, Sastry, advisor
Reddivari, Lavanya, committee member
Brick, Mark, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
Field-grown potato tubers were evaluated for tuber flesh color, focusing on hue and chroma, total carotenoid content and identification and quantification of individual carotenoids. A total of 138 clones/cultivars from the Colorado Potato Breeding and Selection Program were evaluated to determine the chroma and hue of the tuber flesh. A subset of 100 entries, 65 tetraploids and 35 diploids, were analyzed for total carotenoid content and eight select entries for individual carotenoid content. Volatile flavor compounds were analyzed in 12 select entries, including two diploid entries with high carotenoid levels, using both microwaved and steamed cooking methods. Five entries from the volatile compound analysis were selected for a sensory evaluation. The relationship between tuber flesh chroma and carotenoid content was analyzed. Total carotenoid content was positively correlated (r = 0.72) with chroma for the subset of 100 entries. The range in total carotenoid content was 16 to 2741 μg/100 gfw (grams fresh weight). Diploid entries had a total carotenoid content three times higher than tetraploid entries. There was a significant entry by year interaction for total carotenoid content. Lutein was the major carotenoid detected among the eight entries analyzed. For the volatile flavor compounds, limonene was quantified and alpha-copaene, decanal, isovaleraldehyde, and 2-pentanone were detected in 12 select entries. The relationship between volatile compounds and sensory scores was analyzed. Limonene was not detected in the two diploid entries with high carotenoid levels. The sensory evaluation revealed higher sensory scores for the three tetraploid entries than the two diploid entries with high carotenoid levels. The recently named cultivar Masquerade received the highest score for overall acceptability for both steamed and microwaved cooking methods. The use of diploid potato entries will be a target for future breeding efforts in order to increase carotenoid levels. Further research is needed to identify entries with promising flavor characteristics in order to develop cultivars with greater carotenoid levels and enhanced flavor.