Acrylamide Formation in Processed Potatoes as Affected by Cultivar, Nitrogen Fertilization and Storage Time.

The affirmation of acrylamide as a probable carcinogen by the European Food Safety Authority has reinforced the need to lower acrylamide content in fried potato products. Selected for low reducing sugars and acrylamide-forming potential, recently released cultivars ‘Alpine Russet’, ‘Dakota Trailblazer’, and ‘Ivory Crisp’ were evaluated for their processing quality when grown with varying nitrogen (N) fertilizer regimes. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of N fertilizer rate (34, 135, 202, 269 and 336 kg ha−1) on tuber glucose and acrylamide concentration following processing of new cultivars relative to standard cultivars ‘Russet Burbank’ and ‘Snowden’ at harvest, and after 3, 6 and 9 months of storage at 7.2 °C over 2 years. Glucose and acrylamide responses to N rate were similar for chip cultivars, which linearly decreased in 2011, and quadratically increased then decreased in 2012 with increasing N rate. The N rate effect on French fry glucose concentration varied by cultivar and either decreased or did not respond to elevated N rate. Glucose and acrylamide concentrations of chip cultivars generally increased during storage, with a dramatic increase in ‘Snowden’ resulting from senescence sweetening after 9 months of storage. Environmental conditions significantly affected glucose and acrylamide responses of French fry cultivars to storage time. Glucose and acrylamide concentrations of all French fry cultivars generally increased during storage in 2011. In contrast, glucose concentrations of French fry cultivars were stable or increased, while acrylamide concentrations generally decreased during storage in 2012. The relationship between chip color and glucose concentration was significant, but differed by year. Glucose and acrylamide concentrations of French fry and chip cultivars were significantly correlated (R2 = 0.52 and 0.66, in 2011 and 2012, respectively). Generally, acrylamide in fried potato products can be minimized by using low reducing sugar cultivars supplied with a N fertilizer rate that optimizes yield and quality during growing seasons with minimal environmental stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]