Nutritional Significance of Processed Potato Products

Abstract

Globally, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) shares a major part of our daily diet. Nowadays being a perishable crop and consumer preference its utilization is shifting towards the processing and value addition instead of fresh consumption. Due to frequent consumption, potatoes and its processed products have nutritional significance for human health. Potatoes are carbohydrate rich foods and frying makes them high energy and fat rich also. Potato tubers also contain plenty of dietary carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, bioactive molecules, phytochemicals, anthocyanin, carotenoids, and metabolites having beneficial effects on human health and must be present in daily diet. Potato protein contains well-balanced amino acid composition with a higher content of essential amino acids and is one of the best sources of lysine among the vegetable and cereal sources. Among the processed products of potatoes, chips and French fries are most popular, although they are rich in fat and energy. Beside this, various frozen products such as mashed potatoes, hash brown and puffs, dehydrated potatoes, and starch are also available in the market. All these products are good source of carbohydrates, potassium, phosphorous, vitamin C, niacin, and many more. Recently, ICAR-CPRI Shimla has developed potato-based novel value-added products such as cookies, halwa premix, semolina, porridge which are rich in dietary fiber, protein, vitamin C, and potassium. The low sodium content and gluten-free composition makes these products also fit for celiac/wheat allergic and hypertensive population. This chapter provides the better understanding of nutritional significance of potato and its products. Besides this, the chapter also provides the overview of new dimensions of value addition in potatoes.