Why should we consume organic potatoes? Are they healthier, more nutritious, and environmentally friendly? These are some of the questions that consumers often ask.
Conventionally grown potatoes have been found to contain high doses of pesticides. Most pesticides are absorbed into the tuber from the soil.
When are potatoes first exposed to pesticides during their lifecycle? Seed potatoes are sprayed with pesticide to prevent sprouting, and they are also sprayed when they are in storage. Because of the high pesticide load in conventionally grown and stored potatoes, consumers have been shifting their preference to organically raised potatoes.
A USDA survey conducted and reported in the New York Times claims that over 81% of potatoes tested contained pesticides even after being washed and peeled. Among the 43 fruits and vegetables tested by the Environmental Working Group, potatoes contained one of the highest levels of pesticides.
Conventional potatoes are treated with fungicides during the growing season and then sprayed with herbicides to kill the fibrous vines before harvesting. Yet another dose of herbicide spraying is done after they are dug up to prevent them from sprouting.
Fungicides are extensively used to control late blight Phytophthora infestans, white mold Sclerotinia sclerotium and rot — the more common diseases that infect potato crops. Linuron, used to control potato diseases, is a carcinogen, endocrine disruptor, developmental and reproductive toxin, and groundwater contaminant. Others like metribuzin, aldicarb, oxamil, pirimicarb, and pymetrozine have serious hazardous implications for humans and animals. Pesticide residues in conventionally grown food are a serious health hazard.
Cultivating organic potatoes
Organic potato cultivators use alternative approaches to applying artificial fertilizers and pesticides. They adopt crop rotation, select disease-resistant cultivars, maintain good soil management, use disease–free seed, and adopt correct storage, which helps keep disease incidences down.
Integrated crop and pest management practices are adopted to control pests and diseases in the crop. Organic potato crops follow a minimum of 4–year rotations using legumes, straw, and composted manure, whole seed for planting rather than cut seed pieces, disease-resistant varieties, ensure the presence of good soil moisture, and plant potatoes after the risk of frost has passed. The soil is kept well-drained to prevent the accumulation of water in the field. This helps prevent fungal and other infections.
History and varieties
Potatoes were probably domesticated between 10,000 and 7,000 years ago in their area of origin, which is said to lie in the Andean Mountain region of Peru and Bolivia. The tuber, which could be stored for extended periods, was a food security crop for the Incan people, who are said to have lived from the 13th to the 16th century AD. Potatoes were dehydrated, freeze-dried, and used for consumption during drought periods.
Potato came to Europe via the Spanish explorers who brought them back home from Latin America. The tuber spread worldwide with the help of immigrants, conquerors, and traders.
Numerous potato varieties are popular worldwide. They come in three colors: white, yellow, and red. Popular fruit and vegetable market varieties are Monalisa, Spunta, Primura, and Agata; the latter is imported and exported widely together with Aminca, Alcmaria, and others.
Potatoes popular with the food industry include Hermes, Agria, and Lady Rosetta. Lady Claire is another variety popular with processing units. It can be stored for up to ten months and is not susceptible to bruises or mechanical damage during processing and transport.
Common organic potato varieties in the yellow skin variety are Agata, Ambra Imola, Cosmos, Escort, and Merit, and in the red skin variety, we have Kuroda and Raja.
Nutritional value
Potatoes are rich in Vitamin C and were used by sailors in the 17th and 18th centuries as a cheap and nutritious food source that prevented scurvy, which was common in the business. The vegetable acquired wide acceptance as a stable, high-calorie food source that can be grown in a variety of climates, has high yields, and can be used to feed not just humans but also animals.
Potatoes are rich in calories and carbohydrates. They also contain a compound known as alpha–lipoic acid, which helps the body convert glucose into energy. The potato skin contains quercetin, a flavonoid with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Potatoes are best eaten with the skin, as most of the nutrients and vitamins are in the skin.
In general, cooked potatoes have high levels of digestible starch. Boiled and mashed potatoes showed the highest rate of digestion, while raw potatoes were hardly digested (Garcia—Alonso et al., 2000).
Potato peelings are a good source of dietary fiber in bread. They are observed to be superior to wheat bran. They are rich in certain minerals, total dietary fiber, and water holding capacity, and they have a lower quantity of starchy components. They also lack phytate (Toma et al., 1979).
Potatoes are an important part of many countries' diets. Freshly harvested potatoes retain more vitamin C than stored potatoes. However, potatoes have a high glycemic index (the rate at which food raises the blood sugar level), which is one of the factors that diabetics should avoid consuming.
Potato tubers contain phenolic compounds, such as chlorogenic acid, which, when consumed in large amounts, may be a significant source of health-promoting phenolic compounds (Friendman et al., 1997).
The bioactive ingredients in potatoes make them a promising source of functional foods, with a beneficial impact on cardiovascular health. Further studies are required to identify the active compounds and clearly assess the antihypertensive activity of ingredients found in potatoes (Pihlanto et al., 2007).
Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids, toxic compounds mainly composed of solanine and chaconine. These can cause headaches, diarrhea, and cramps. Exposure to light causes potatoes to green, which is a visual indication of the location of these toxic chemicals in the vegetable.
Some potato varieties contain higher glycoalkaloid concentrations, and plant breeding seeks to produce varieties that contain less of this toxic chemical. Breeders try to keep solanine levels below 0.2 milligrams per gram.
Consuming more than 1.5 kilograms of potatoes in a day has been estimated to cause symptoms of solanine poisoning. Solanine poisoning is often caused by eating green potatoes or drinking potato leaf tea. Cooking the potato at high temperatures destroys glycoalkaloids, rendering it safe for consumption.
Storing potatoes
Potatoes are best stored in a dark, dry environment. Refrigeration converts starch into sugar, and exposure to sunlight can form solanine—both give potatoes an unpleasant taste.
Potatoes are best stored unwashed. Washing removes the protective coating on the skin, leading to bacterial buildup. A potato that starts rotting should be removed immediately from the pile to prevent further spoilage. Potatoes should not be stored with onions because both vegetables emit natural gases that cause the other to decay.
Other uses of potatoes
Potato starch is a vegetable used as a water binder, thickener, anti—caking agent, filler, or gluing agent. It has the biggest starch granules and the best water absorbency. It reaches much higher viscosity levels at lower temperatures than other vegetable starches. Organic potato starch is used in food products in Europe and elsewhere. Such products are labelled with EU organic labels.
Production and trade
Despite the increasing popularity of organic potatoes among US consumers, the certified organic potato area in the US is just 13,258 acres (USDA 2011 statistics). Most of the production takes place in Idaho and Washington states. Among fresh vegetables, the top organic purchases are lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, onions, and potatoes.
In the US, potatoes had the highest price premium among organic vegetables (Lin et al., 2008). The premium for potatoes could be as high as 75%, while other vegetables averaged a premium of 20 to 30%. Premium prices and vegetables in general are subject to demand-supply variations and can sometimes be quite high.
Organic potato production in Europe is small but is steadily growing, a trend observed in other vegetables too. Concessional financing, such as green financing, in the Netherlands, is offered for the promotion of organic farming. VAT exemption is also being offered for organic crops. Conventional crops continue to be subject to VAT levy. The Netherlands has the largest percentage (15%) of land growing organic potatoes. In Switzerland, too, organic potato is a popular crop.
Germany is leading the trend in organic potatoes, like other organic crops. Like the US, price premiums for organic potatoes are helping encourage cultivation. Gross margins in organic potatoes have been estimated to be two to three times higher than those for conventional potatoes in the UK and Germany. In Europe, the trend is to sell organic potatoes in farmers’ niche markets, market stalls, and farm shops. This helps keep the cost of logistics and packaging down to a minimum.
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