New Zealand
June 11, 2007
Potatoes with coloured flesh
currently on the market tend to be small, deep-eyed and
low-yielding, but the latest offering from Crop & Food Research
is an example of breeders’ efforts to overcome these drawbacks.
With attractive purple tones throughout the flesh, a deep purple
skin and shallow eyes, this new potato variety is well
positioned to capture the attention of the health-conscious
consumer, as well as chefs and gourmet cooks, looking for
unique, easy-to-use vegetables.
With the experimental line name of ‘Crop 33’,
Crop & Food Research is now seeking expressions of
interest in its further evaluation.
Breeder Russell Genet says there are a number of pleasing
aspects to the potato, including its relatively smooth surface
and larger size. “Many of the coloured potatoes you find in
gardeners’ markets are very small and often odd shaped. With
this new variety, I’ve considered the benefits of more
conventional rounder types of potato and we have now delivered a
purple-fleshed potato of medium size.”
Genet says 12 years ago there was barely a market for
coloured-flesh potatoes but recent work by health scientists and
nutritionists has seen consumers become aware of the value of
naturally coloured foods.
Dr Carolyn Lister agrees. A nutritional biochemist at Crop &
Food Research, Dr Lister says consumers are learning that
colourful fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidants,
especially if they are coloured beyond the skin.
“Red- and purple-fleshed potatoes get their colour from
anthocyanins, which are strong antioxidants,” she says. |
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