POTATOHANDBOOK The S of Society The recently-published Potato Handbook, written by Professor Anton Haverkort, covers in about six hundred pages all the conceivable aspects related to the potato. This is a unique reference work, more complete than any previously published, on the nutritious tuber, and is intended for everyone throughout the world who works in whatever way with potatoes / or wants to know more about them. To provide a clear line in the classification of the comprehensive handbook, Haverkort has adopted the formula Society x P plant=Planting stock x Environment x Cultivation as a guideline. This brings together all the factors related to the potato. To give an impression of all the information that the Potato Handbook has to offer, the upcoming issues of Potato World magazine will present a very concise version of each chapter of the Potato Handbook. This time a small excerpt from chapter 1. Chapter 1 describes everything about the S of society, in other words man and the potato, as Haverkort puts it in the Potato Handbook. ‘People need food and domesticate wild plants and animal species to feed and clothe themselves and to provide themselves with shelter and transport. The potato spread over the world a few hundred years ago as a major source of food. It did this in a way that was unprecedented for a food crop. The crop has enabled the rise and fall of populations and made a significant contribution to the food supply of an ever-increasing world population. The potato, of course, provides protein and energy, but also serves as delicious food that you prepare at home or eat at street stalls or, in restaurants, and it is also available as crunchy snacks. The potato value chain began with the commercial extraction of starch in the 19th century – still important today – and reached a peak of development in the global industry of French fries, crisps and pallet-based extrusion products in the 20th century. Extrusion is the name for a modelling method whereby material that can be shaped, granulate in the case of potatoes, is pressed through a mould resulting in a shape, for example, a French fry. Potato handbook Crop of the future Anton J. Haverkort Starch as the main source of energy In the 86 pages that describe the S of society from the potato formula, Haverkort deals extensively with the high nutritional value of the potato in one of the many paragraphs. Here, the author delves into the subject of ‘potato constituents with health benefits’. He writes ‘after wheat and white rice, the potato is the third food crop that people consume on a large scale. The amount of maize produced is greater, but the largest part of that crop is destined for animal feed and a considerable amount goes to biofuels. When you compare the dry matter of wheat, rice and potato flour, it turns out that the energy content is comparable, about 1600 kJ per 100 grams. Starch is the main source of energy, but sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose are also present in concentrations that depend to a large extent on the physiological state of the tuber before and after the harvest. Wheat flour is the richest source of protein, and rice flour has the lowest fibre content. The iron concentration in the potato is comparable to that in wheat, but the potato contains a lot of potassium. Most of the protein in the tuber is patatine, which is very easily digestible. The biological value of proteins, originating from different sources, provides a comparison with the standard of the chicken egg, which has a value of 100. The biological value of protein is by definition the percentage of nitrogen from the protein-containing food that the body retains from everything that is eaten. The more essential amino acids for the human body that the protein in the food contains, the higher the biological value. The value of protein from the potato is about 95, while the protein value of cow’s milk and cheese fluctuates around 85 and that of beans is 75. However, if you mix potato with egg, this increases the biological value to well above 135, due to the additional effect of the composition of the amino acids in the proteins of both parts. During preparation, the amount of energy per 100 g of tuber in dishes varies considerably. It ranges from less than 250 kJ per 100 g of boiled, unpeeled potatoes to just under 300 kJ for peeled potatoes. When adding oil, the energy content of 100 g of tubers increases from less than 500 kJ of fried potatoes to more than 500 kJ for French fries, both with about 6% of fat. Crisps that consist of approximately 35% of fat, supply more than 2000 kJ per 100 g of product. Potato constituents with health benefits Potato as a vegetable is in some ways similar to fruit, as is shown by the high concentration of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which is similar to that of an orange. However, a lot of it is lost in the preparation of potato dishes. Vitamin C is 10 Potato World 2019 • number 1 Pagina 9

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