Recent advances in anti‐browning methods in minimally processed potatoes—A review

Abstract

Potato is one of the most important and common tubers for human consumption globally, constituting an excellent source of energy and nutrients. In modern times, there is an increasing demand of minimally processed, that is, ready‐to‐cook, potatoes as a result of a busy lifestyle and/or preference for convenience of consumers. However, minimally processed potatoes are prone to enzymatic browning which is the main challenge of industrial potato processing. The use of chemicals such as sulfites as anti‐browning agents is being questioned for health‐safety since they are categorized as severe allergens. The potato processing industry is thus looking for alternative methods of preservation to prevent browning. This review summarizes critical information on anti‐browning methods of minimally processed potato products providing key‐findings of studies using various heating treatments, anti‐browning chemical agents, packaging formulations, and emerging non‐thermal technologies. Novelty impact statement Consumption of minimally processed potatoes has increased owing to their convenience for commercialization. However, the partial processing causes an increase in the perishability of potatoes. This review covers recent progress and advances in anti‐browning methods of minimally processed potatoes that can be used as alternatives or complementary to the conventional methods.

The effect of electron beam irradiation on the microbial stability and quality characteristics of vacuum‐packaged ready‐to‐eat potato

“…Treatment should be optimized to get an a * value closer to green because the reddish color is usually an indication of potato tuber browning (do Nascimento et al, 2021). Potato browning is caused by enzymatic and non‐enzymatic browning reactions (Ceroli et al, 2018; Tsikrika et al, 2022). However, both reactions happen before cooking or during heat treatment.…”

“…The color score changes caused by irradiation observed during the browning is caused by enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning reactions (Ceroli et al, 2018;Tsikrika et al, 2022). However, both reactions happen before cooking or during heat treatment.…”

Maintaining the Quality and Safety of Fresh-Cut Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum): Overview of Recent Findings and Approaches

“…More than half of the published papers with the keyword "potato × fresh-cut" dealt with the unpleasant phenomenon of potato browning, which can be prevented or slowed by treatment with ABA. In view of the fact that three review papers [6,8,9] have recently been published dealing with the prevention of potato browning, only a brief overview will be given here, focusing on the publications on FCP of the last few years.…”

“…However, recently [7] found the fourth factor, namely the increase in antioxidant capacity and PAL activity, which trigger reactions in advance to increase stress resistance. Common anti-browning methods include thermal methods or recent emerging technologies to inactivate enzymes, the use of certain (multifunctional) chemicals or natural agents (antibrowning and antimicrobial agents), as well as the use of suitable packaging methods (edible coatings, suitable packaging material and modified atmosphere), all of which can be used individually or in combination due to their known synergistic effects [3,8,9]. Bobo-Garcia et al (2020) [6] gave an overview of anti-browning agents (ABA) applied to FCP.…”

Widely Untargeted Metabolome Profiling Provides Insight into Browning and Nutritional Quality Changes in Short-Term Stored Fresh-Cut Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Shreds

“…Potatoes are susceptible to enzymatic browning during and after fresh processing, which is an important quality issue [18][19][20]. To date, many anti-browning compounds such as ascorbic acid and its derivatives, xanthosine, thiol and others have been tested on fresh cut potatoes with inconsistent results [18,[21][22][23][24]. Enzymatic browning is reported to be caused by polyphenol oxidases (PPOs), β-glucosidase (β-GLU), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), and peroxidase (POD), which catalyze the conversion of phenolic substrates to quinones, resulting in the formation of dark-colored precipitates in fruits and vegetables.…”