Abstract
In order to assess the cooking quality and some properties of cut-and-stored potato, potatoes were sliced 1-cm thick and then quartered. The cut slices were immediately dipped for 5 min in one of the following fluids : distilled water, 0.05 M L-ascorbic acid (AA), 0.05 M sodium L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (AAP-Na), or 0.05 M magnesium L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (AAP-Mg). After draining, the slices were packed in aluminum-laminated plastic bags with or without evacuation. The bags were then stored at 4 or 20°C for 1 to 6 days. Some merits were observed when the cut potatoes were stored : there was no decrease in the total vitamin C content, and there was in fact a gradual increase in the percentage of total vitamin C remaining after cooking. One cause of these phenomena might be that cell wall thickening, which was observed by optical and electron microscopy, occurred on the cut surface of the samples during storage. This cell wall thickening also induced an inhibition of crumbling of the slices during cooking. The best storage condition to inhibit browning of the potato slices was evacuated storage at 4°C, and the second best was non-evacuated storage at 4°C. Dipping in 0.05 M AA and its derivatives inhibited browning of the potato slices stored without evacuating at 4°C, and the derivatives still showed some inhibition for the slices stored even at 20°C. Acceptability by a sensory evaluation proved the highest when the cut slices were stored with evacuation at 4 °C, and the second highest when stored without evacuation at 4°C.
