By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
June 14, 2004 — A potato that contains 30 percent fewer carbohydrates than a standard baking potato will hit the shelves early next year, say University of Florida researchers.
The scientists, in collaboration with Netherlands seed company HZPC, will market the as-yet-unnamed low-carb potato in the U.S. Northeast and Canada beginning in January 2005.
According to Chad Hutchinson, an assistant professor with the university's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the low-carb spud contains 13 grams of carbohydrate for a 3.5 ounce serving versus 19 grams for a standard Russet Burbank potato.
Hutchinson told Discovery News that the new potato first resulted from cross-breeding, performed by a Netherlands hobby breeder. The two original potato parents are a well-guarded secret at present, as the hobbyist licensed the line to HZPC.
The seed company further developed the potato using techniques such as greenhouse pollination and selection of positive traits. In this case, the desired characteristics included high yield, early maturity, and attractive skin type. No genetic engineering was involved in the potato's development.
The University of Florida, which annually evaluates approximately 400 separate potato lines received from private, university, and USDA breeding programs, next grew the new potato over five seasons.
"We evaluate potatoes while they are growing for stand, vine type, vigor, maturity (length of season), and disease resistance," Hutchinson said. "We evaluate production at harvest for grade, size, and cull types. We evaluate cut tubers for (potato diseases and problems like) internal heat necrosis, brown rot, corky ringspot, hollow heart, and brown center. We evaluate cut tuber flesh color, skin color, skin texture, eye depth, tuber shape and overall appearance."
The new potato passed all of the above tests, and then was non-scientifically evaluated at the home kitchens of UFL researchers, who found that the spud had an intense potato flavor and a moist and creamy texture, according to Hutchinson.
"On a lark we checked the carbs of some of the (test) potatoes, and discovered that one (variety) was lower than the rest," he said.
Hutchinson attributed the starch reduction to the potato's "lower specific gravity," which is a measurement related to density. The new spud has slightly higher water content than the Russet, but retains high protein, vitamin, and fiber levels.
Hutchinson also thinks the potato's low-carb profile also might be due to the unusual timing of production in Florida. Potatoes there are grown "backwards," meaning they are planted in the fall and early winter for harvest in late winter and spring, instead of the other way around.
"The potatoes grow when the day length is getting longer and soil temperatures are warming," Hutchinson said. "This is opposite to how potatoes 'want' to grow and how they are grown in the majority of potato-producing states in North America."
Some varieties, like the new low-carb potato, might reach maturity before starch levels begin to rise. The shorter harvest time, 65-75 days compared to the 100 days plus for other existing Florida potato varieties, also helps to prevent changes in sugar and starch ratios that can occur when potatoes are stored for several months before going to market.
The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine recommends that most adults consume around 130 grams of carbs a day, but popular diets, such as the Atkins plan, initially limit carbs to just 20 grams daily. Studies are mixed as to the benefit of reducing carbohydrates, but some reports have linked high carb intake to increased insulin production by the body, stress on the pancreas, and weight gain.
Don Northcott, marketing manager for HZPC Americas Corp., is optimistic about the new spud.
"I hope this will get people looking at the potato again," Northcott told Discovery News. "Possibly they will see that there are many different types of potatoes, and each type or variety can offer variations in taste, cooking time, preparation opportunities and, in the future, consumers may look for potatoes just like we look for different types of apples."
Mike Storey, research and development director of the British Potato Council, questioned all of the fuss over the new potato. In a recent interview with the Sunday Telegraph he commented, "These low-carb potatoes may be similar to small, waxy salad potatoes, such as Maris Peer, Nicola, and Charlotte, that we have been growing for several years."
I agree, gimmie the real thing.
NOT!!!