ABSTRACT
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55 (23), 9627–9633
Umami compounds are a determinant of the flavor of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)
Wayne L. Morris, Heather A. Ross, Laurence J. M. Ducreux, John E. Bradshaw, Glenn J. Bryan and Mark A. Taylor
Vegetable flavor is an important factor in consumer choice but a
trait that is difficult to assess quantitatively. The purpose of this
study was to assess the levels of the major umami compounds in boiled
potato tubers, in cultivars previously assessed for sensory quality. The
free levels of the major umami amino acids, glutamate and aspartate, and
the 5'-nucleotides, GMP and AMP, were measured in potato samples during
the cooking process. Tubers were sampled at several time points during the
growing season. The levels of both glutamate and 5'-nucleotides were
significantly higher in mature tubers of two Solanum phureja cultivars
compared with two Solanum tuberosum cultivars. The equivalent umami
concentration was calculated for five cultivars, and there were strong
positive correlations with flavor attributes and acceptability scores
from a trained evaluation panel, suggesting that umami is an important
component of potato flavor.
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