Storage of potatoes at low temperature should be avoided to prevent increased acrylamide formation during frying or roasting

摘要

Fresh potatoes respond to cooling below about 10℃ by increasing the content of reducing sugars. The potential of acrylamide formation increases approximately proportionally and results in high acrylamide concentrations in fried, roasted or baked potato products. The increase at 4℃ may reach a factor of 40 for a potato starting out at a low level. Cooling for merely 40 h set the signal to increase the sugar content three times (even though the increase only occurred during the following two days). Data on the increase of acrylamide formation upon medium or long term cooling to 4℃ is shown for a number of cultivars frequently used in Switzerland. Reconditioning at ambient temperature for about two weeks reduced the content of reducing sugars by a factor of two ― but still left it about five times above the level before cooling. Sprouting does not noticeably increase the potential of acrylamide formation. Potatoes from the Swiss market of January to March 2003 showed potentials of acrylamide formation and sugar contents indicating that probably all samples were from low temperature storage.