08/24/07 Peeling away the nutritional secrets of the potato

Farm and Ranch August 24, 2007 Research funded by the Washington State Potato Commission has discovered a surprising number of phytonutrients in potatoes that could have beneficial results for human health. Roy Navarre, a research geneticist with the USDA-ARS at Prosser, says potatoes are rich in compounds called phenolics, which can be anti-oxidants, have anti-cancer properties and are good for eye health, to name a few of their benefits. Navarre says researchers recently went to a grocery store and bought other vegetables like broccoli, spinach, lettuce and tomatoes to compare the phenolic compound content to that of potatoes. Navarre: "The phenolic potato lines we find over a ten-fold difference from one variety to another in how much phenolics they have and the highest phenolic potatoes we have found so far have substantially higher phenolics than any of the vegetables we personally checked out." Scientists have also been looking at folates, a vitamin. A folate deficiency can cause birth defects and is associated with some strokes and heart attacks. Navarre says they have learned which potatoes have the most folates. Navarre: "We find that the younger potatoes, the baby potatoes in particular, seem to have a little bit more than the mature potatoes, and actually we find that for a lot of compounds." Not that mature potatoes don't have healthy amounts, but Navarre says this is an interesting development for the marketing of new potatoes. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.