PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 1:55 PM by Tevita

Potatoes with a Nutritional Punch

From : SW News Herald

By SANDY MILLER HAYS, Agricultural Research ServiceTalk about a "vegetable for all seasons" — that's the potato.In the spring and summer, what picnic would be complete without potato salad? In the cooler months, nothing can beat a hearty potato soup. And just imagine how lonely that sizzling steak would be on your plate without its buddy, the baked potato.That's probably why the spud is Americans' favorite veggie; U.S. consumers eat about 130 pounds of potatoes per person every year. Now here's even more reason to love potatoes: They're loaded with good-for-you plant compounds called phytochemicals.

Although phytochemicals aren't considered essential vitamins or nutrients, they're thought to promote human health in a variety of wonderful ways, such as neutralizing cancer-causing agents and cell-damaging molecules called free radicals.In the past, folks have tended to associate phytochemicals with brightly colored fruits and veggies, or the dark green vegetables like broccoli or brussels sprouts. What tends to come to mind with potatoes is starch and carbs.But the scientists of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) say we need to adjust how we think about potatoes, because they're packed with substances called phenolic compounds that have all sorts of health-promoting capabilities, including antioxidant activity.The ARS scientists aren't just speculating about spuds. They've come up with new analytical methods that help them detect phytochemicals and their concentrations in the potatoes' skins and flesh.They've put these methods to work on some 100 wild and commercially grown potatoes, and have uncovered up to 60 different phytochemicals and vitamins. The lineup includes vitamin C, folic acid, chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, and one that's new to me and perhaps to you: kukoamines, which might be able to help lower blood pressure.Prior to a 2005 report by the Institute of Food Research, kukoamines had only been found in a Chinese medicinal plant called Lycium chinense. But the ARS research team in Washington State has used their new analytical methods to find more than five different kinds of kukoamines in potatoes grown right there in the Pacific Northwest.One question that remains unanswered at this point is whether we consumers could get enough of a phytochemical like kukoamine from eating normal-size servings of potatoes that contain it. Although plant breeding efforts in the past have tended to focus on making a crop more productive or more resistant to pests, new interest might be focused on breeding specifically to elevate the crop's nutrient content, once scientists have pinpointed the roles of the various healthful compounds.For example, one promising group of compounds is called flavonoids. These natural substances could help diminish the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases, respiratory problems such as asthma, and even certain cancers, such as prostate and lung cancer.There are other flavonoids, such as the anthocyanins in blueberries, that help wipe out free radicals before they can harm your body's cells and tissues. So far, the ARS researchers have shown that there can be as much as a 30-fold difference in the flavonoid concentrations in potato specimens—so there's lots of room to maneuver in a potato breeding program!Another appealing flavonoid is quercetin, which is abundant in red onions. Today the quercetin levels in potatoes are generally lower than those in the onions, but on the plus side, the average American eats more potatoes than red onions. It's possible that as the scientists keep probing the phytochemical content of potatoes, they'll find a potato with an unusually high content of quercetin—or something equally useful.There's certainly lots of room for exploration in the world of potato profiling. Take, for example, folic acid, which is very important in the diets of expectant mothers because of its role in proper fetal development. The ARS scientists looked at 70 types of potatoes and found a nearly three-fold difference between the high-folic-acid types and those with less of this important substance. Before they started their analysis, only six varieties of potato had ever been examined for folic acid content.Eventually, the scientists will turn their profiling results over to potato breeders—and someday in the not-too-distant future, we lucky consumers may all be enjoying Super-Spud!



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This weblog documents the activities of Pacific Agricultural Genetic Resources Network (PAPGREN), along with other information on plant genetic resources (PGR) in the Pacific. The myriad varieties found within cultivated plants are fundamental to the present and future productivity of agriculture. PAPGREN, which is coordinated by the Land Resources Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), helps Pacific countries and territories to conserve their crop genetic diversity sustainably, with technical assistance from the Bioversity International (BI) and support from NZAID and ACIAR. SPC also hosts the Centre of Pacific Crops and Trees (CEPaCT). The CEPaCT maintains regional in vitro collections of crops important to the Pacific and carries out research on tissue culture technology. The CEPaCT Adviser is Dr Mary Taylor (MaryT@spc.int), the CEPaCT Curator is Ms Valerie Tuia (ValerieT@spc.int). 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DIVA-GIS	Sunday, October 28, 2007 Posted 1:55 PM by Tevita Potatoes with a Nutritional Punch From : SW News Herald By SANDY MILLER HAYS, Agricultural Research ServiceTalk about a "vegetable for all seasons" — that's the potato.In the spring and summer, what picnic would be complete without potato salad? In the cooler months, nothing can beat a hearty potato soup. And just imagine how lonely that sizzling steak would be on your plate without its buddy, the baked potato.That's probably why the spud is Americans' favorite veggie; U.S. consumers eat about 130 pounds of potatoes per person every year. Now here's even more reason to love potatoes: They're loaded with good-for-you plant compounds called phytochemicals. Although phytochemicals aren't considered essential vitamins or nutrients, they're thought to promote human health in a variety of wonderful ways, such as neutralizing cancer-causing agents and cell-damaging molecules called free radicals.In the past, folks have tended to associate phytochemicals with brightly colored fruits and veggies, or the dark green vegetables like broccoli or brussels sprouts. What tends to come to mind with potatoes is starch and carbs.But the scientists of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) say we need to adjust how we think about potatoes, because they're packed with substances called phenolic compounds that have all sorts of health-promoting capabilities, including antioxidant activity.The ARS scientists aren't just speculating about spuds. They've come up with new analytical methods that help them detect phytochemicals and their concentrations in the potatoes' skins and flesh.They've put these methods to work on some 100 wild and commercially grown potatoes, and have uncovered up to 60 different phytochemicals and vitamins. The lineup includes vitamin C, folic acid, chlorogenic acid, flavonoids, and one that's new to me and perhaps to you: kukoamines, which might be able to help lower blood pressure.Prior to a 2005 report by the Institute of Food Research, kukoamines had only been found in a Chinese medicinal plant called Lycium chinense. But the ARS research team in Washington State has used their new analytical methods to find more than five different kinds of kukoamines in potatoes grown right there in the Pacific Northwest.One question that remains unanswered at this point is whether we consumers could get enough of a phytochemical like kukoamine from eating normal-size servings of potatoes that contain it. Although plant breeding efforts in the past have tended to focus on making a crop more productive or more resistant to pests, new interest might be focused on breeding specifically to elevate the crop's nutrient content, once scientists have pinpointed the roles of the various healthful compounds.For example, one promising group of compounds is called flavonoids. These natural substances could help diminish the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases, respiratory problems such as asthma, and even certain cancers, such as prostate and lung cancer.There are other flavonoids, such as the anthocyanins in blueberries, that help wipe out free radicals before they can harm your body's cells and tissues. So far, the ARS researchers have shown that there can be as much as a 30-fold difference in the flavonoid concentrations in potato specimens—so there's lots of room to maneuver in a potato breeding program!Another appealing flavonoid is quercetin, which is abundant in red onions. Today the quercetin levels in potatoes are generally lower than those in the onions, but on the plus side, the average American eats more potatoes than red onions. It's possible that as the scientists keep probing the phytochemical content of potatoes, they'll find a potato with an unusually high content of quercetin—or something equally useful.There's certainly lots of room for exploration in the world of potato profiling. Take, for example, folic acid, which is very important in the diets of expectant mothers because of its role in proper fetal development. The ARS scientists looked at 70 types of potatoes and found a nearly three-fold difference between the high-folic-acid types and those with less of this important substance. Before they started their analysis, only six varieties of potato had ever been examined for folic acid content.Eventually, the scientists will turn their profiling results over to potato breeders—and someday in the not-too-distant future, we lucky consumers may all be enjoying Super-Spud! * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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