Potato – 5. Composition, Quality Characteristics & Nutrition Facts of Potatoes - Potato Vitamins
Potato vitamins are the subject of the fifth part of the modest tribute to the composition, qualities and nutritional value of its tubers.
A fifth part, which unfortunately for all, is not the last one.
The editorial team of ‘Kalliergeia’ wishes to readers great courage.
Potato – 5. Composition, Quality Characteristics & Nutrition Facts of Potatoes – Potato Vitamins
Potato Vitamins
The role of vitamins in human nutrition and health is extremely important.
Numerous investigations have highlighted the link between the vitamin sufficiency in the organism and its protection from various diseases.
The sufficiency of vitamin C, for example, prevents the appearance of the most well-known scurvy while its contribution to the bioavailability of iron is also decisive.
On the other hand, vitamin A plays a decisive role in the health of the eyes.
Potato vitamins include both C and A, as well as several B vitamins.
Vitamin C is abundant in its tubers. Of course, in terms of content, it may be less than vitamin C content (in mg) of citrus fruits and peppers, but potato consumption also contributes significantly to to daily vitamin C requirements.
Group of B vitamins are found in potatoes also in large quantities, while the concentration of vitamin A is low but not insignificant.
Potato – 5. Composition, Quality Characteristics & Nutrition Facts of Potatoes – Potato Vitamins
Potato Vitamins Content
Genetic factors, culture mode, planting site and storage conditions of harvested tubers generally determine the amount of potato vitamins involved.
However, in any case, its dominant vitamin is C – ascorbic acid.
The vitamin C content of potato tubers varies between 84 and 145 mg per 100 g of dry weight. A medium sized potato provides 27 mg of vitamin C, a quantity that characterizes it as an excellent source of intake.
B vitamins are the second largest group of potato vitamins. These include folic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine and pyridoxine. Potato tubers can be described as a very good source of pyridoxine, namely vitamin B6.
Vitamin A is related to the presence of carotenoids. The presence of potato carotenoids – which will be discussed in the next tribute – is detected in low quantities. Of these β-carotene, is the primary dietary source of vitamin A (pro-vitamin A).
But the most basic, in acoustic form, source of vitamins is not found in potatoes. It is in Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ‘Snow (Hey Oh)’, as covered by the ‘Vitamin String Quartet’.
- Augustin, J. (1975). Variations in the nutritional composition of fresh potatoes. Food Sci., 40:1295–1299.
- Brown, C. R. (2008). Breeding for phytonutrient enhancement of potato. Am. J. Potato Res., 85:298–307.
VITAMIN STRING QUARTET – Snow (Hey Oh)
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