Nutritional and sensory characteristics of early potato cultivars under organic and conventional cultivation systems

Potato production in several Mediterranean countries is focused on the early crop type, and is generally associated with intensive applications of farming inputs. Recently, the enhanced interest for environmentally-sustainable production systems has led to a major expansion in the organic farming sector. Due to the lack of data in the literature about the qualitative traits of organic early potato, we studied some nutritional and sensory characteristics of three cultivars (Arinda, Ditta and Nicola) grown either organically or conventionally. Overall, the organic farming allowed to obtain a product with a higher nutritional value due to higher total phenolic and lower nitrate content, and better sensory performance after frying (strong taste and crisp flesh). Moreover, the lower amount of soluble sugars and higher level of dry matter under organic farming is noticeable for the possible use of early potato for frying. Our findings also indicate as the cultivar choice is a key aspect determining the overall quality of the organic tuber. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.