When potato chips are fried, dangerous compounds known as acrylamides are formed. Factors like the potatoes themselves, storage conditions, and the heat treatment technique all have an impact on the acrylamide content in potato chips.

Acrylamides have been studied by researchers in collaboration with the food packaging company Produsentpakkeriet in Frosta, Norway, northeast of Trondheim.

“Here we face an additional challenge because colder growth conditions often mean that less mature potatoes are used to make potato chips. Less mature potatoes contain more sugar, and this can lead to a higher acrylamide content in the potato chips that we make from them,” researcher Solveig Uglem at SINTEF mentioned, who has been heading the research team.

The results demonstrate that the use of the right kind of potato, achieving the correct maturity before harvesting, and achieving a correct and tailored storage temperature are key factors involved in attaining optimal crisp quality while minimizing the risk of acrylamide production.

As part of a three-year study, the researchers have also been looking into the use of simple methods of measuring the sugar content of potatoes. Such measurements, taken both before and after harvesting and while the potatoes are in storage, are important for ensuring that sugar levels are sufficiently low to enable the potatoes to be made into potato chips.

The researchers discovered that sucrose and aspartic acid levels in potatoes were the greatest predictors of acrylamide levels in potato chips following deep frying.

“However, this method is slow and requires the use of expensive instruments. We’ve found that measuring glucose concentrations using a blood sugar meter that anyone can purchase at a local pharmacy offers a quicker and more accessible means of getting an indication of whether a potato’s sugar content is too high,” Erlend Indergård said, who has been participating in the project.

The approach has so far been positively embraced by potato farmers. They can determine whether or not their potatoes are ready for harvest by checking the glucose content. If a batch of potatoes has been rejected because the sugar content is too high, it is both unsustainable and can cause significant financial loss. Thus, it is important to encourage potato farmers to monitor the amount of glucose in their crop both immediately following harvest and throughout storage. They will be able to respond if they see any changes in quality because of this.