Studies on Potato Tubers Quality Regarding the Potential for Chips Production

Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), which are cultivated in many countries across the globe, belong to the essential food crops. In recent years, the production and consumption of potatoes has expanded markedly in developing countries. Nowadays, most of potatoes are consumed as processed products, mainly as French fries or chips. Chips, fried potato slices, are referred to as the ¿king of snack foods¿ in many countries.

Indonesia, the largest potato producer in Southeast Asia, imports frozen potatoes as raw material for processing purposes, whereas the inland potato production is dominated by tubers for table purposes. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide new cultivars for processing purposes in addition to already established sources. Tubers for chips production have to meet certain quality criteria to produce desired qualities, such as a light-yellow color, crispy texture and good flavor.

In addition to an appropriate cultivar, a sufficient and balanced supply of fertilizers should also be taken into account in order to produce tubers with desired properties. With regard to nutrients, potassium is absorbed in large amounts due to its essential role in plant physiology and ist subsequent influence on tubers yield and quality. The characteristic of tubers, as raw materials for processing purposes, is important for the quality of the final products.