Abstract
Worldwide, hundreds of potato dishes exist, originally composed by cooks in traditional kitchens. Gradually cooks more and more applied processed products as ingredients to save time and to widen their range of dishes. The products are classified according to their features, ranging from thickeners in soups to ready-to-eat snacks. Besides cooks, also the food industry makes ample use of (modified) potato starches, flakes, flour and granulates. Before users prepare meals from purchased ingredients, they only have had visual perceptions of the products as displayed on shelves and in freezers of shops and presentations at the internet. The organoleptic properties, taste, smell and structure of tubers and products are perceived in the kitchen only. Sensory appreciation, likewise, is a function of the types of ingredients in dipping and batter during processing and their role to improve products and flavouring. The nutritional value of tubers, other staples and potato products and dishes is analysed and their enhancement and losses in the production of the raw material and processing are discussed. This paper reviews existing dishes worldwide and how the processing industry derived thereof products for kitchens and the food industry. The nutritive value of tubers and their products is explored. In general, the density of nutritive components of the products is correlated with their water content that decreases from blanched or baked, to fried French fries, chips and the flour. Starch, minerals, some vitamins and antioxidants become less diluted and appear in higher concentrations in products than in the raw material they are derived from. The energy content increases more than proportional in fried products because of adhering oil that per unit weight almost has more than double the energy content of starch. Additives such as sodium acid pyrophosphate (SAPP), batter and dextrin improve the flesh colour of French fries, their crispiness, and staying hot time, and give the golden hue. Flavouring creates a wide range of tastes of French fries and chips. Blanched and chilled products either mixed with vegetables or not are often supplied with sachets of seasoning to be spread on the product while preparing a dish in the kitchen as the seasoning effect would partly disappear when mixed with the chilled product. Different consumer desires from, among others, health and environment perspectives are articulated and it is assessed how easy or difficult it is for processors to manufacture suitable products. The paper concludes with future perspectives of consumers among other aspects regarding health and convenience and how the industry reacts with innovations.
