Scientists Boosting Antioxidants In Potatoes

American Vegetable Grower.  26 August 2010.  Scientists discover two ways to improve the amount of healthful antioxidant substances in potatoes. One involves giving spuds an electric shock. The other involves zapping them with ultrasound, high frequency sound waves.

Those new insights into improving the nutritional content of one of the Western world’s favorite side dishes were reported August 22 at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), being held in Boston, MA.

“We found that treating the potatoes with ultrasound or electricity for five to 30 minutes increased the amounts of antioxidants — including phenols and chlorogenic acid — by as much as 50%,” said Kazunori Hironaka, Ph.D., who headed the research. “Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables are considered to be of nutritional importance in the prevention of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, various cancers, diabetes, and neurological diseases.”  read more