Potatoes don’t seem to be a nutritionally versatile source of protein at first glance. Protein makes up just about 2% (when cooked) of the nutritional composition of a potato. Recent research suggests that potato protein may be easy to isolate and enhance, potentially opening the door for potato protein-based nutraceuticals.
Potatoes have a low risk of affecting individuals with allergies. While potato allergies do exist, research looking to isolate and enhance potato proteins could eliminate allergy-causing glycoproteins like the patatins.
The nutritional value of potatoes comes primarily in the form of vitamins C and B6. A single potato covers just about 10-25% of the daily value of vitamins C and B6, with the amount depending on the type of potato and whether it is cooked and contains the skin or not. Potatoes are also low in fat, which can help with some diets.
The overall properties of potatoes can be thought of in 3 ways; nutritional, nutraceutical, and functional.
Nutritional
Positive nutritional information concerning the contents of a potato (cooked).
Nutraceutical
Potential of potatoes for future use as a component of nutraceutical products and fortification of other products/foods.
Functional
The features of potatoes make them a great candidate for product formulation and nutraceutical research.
The main downside of potato-heavy diets comes from the high-starch content. While potatoes are just 17% carbohydrates, about 90% of those carbohydrates are starch. This leads potatoes to be listed as foods to be avoided for individuals on diets that require a low glycemic index.
Recent research has been looking at isolating potato protein, followed by attempts to enhance the protein for a potential allergy-free nutraceutical. Three methods have been researched with some positive results in recent studies:
The potential applications of successful potato protein isolation that are being explored include:
The elimination of potential allergens from potato protein will play an important role in the future of potato-based nutraceuticals. Being able to produce cheese flavoring for non-dairy based cheeses and allergy-free infant formulas would alleviate many allergy-related fears among parents of young children.
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