Mineral Quantitation of Irish Potato (Solanum tuberusom) Treated with Maca (Lepidium meyenii) During Storage

Abstract

Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) has contributed to the human diet for thousands of years, first in the Andes of South America and then in the rest of the world. Potato is rich in potassium which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Maca (Lepidium meyenii) contains macamides which are thought to have antioxidant effects. Prolonged storage of Irish potatoes is the stage at which good quality tubers are most difficult to maintain because the transformations occurring at that time lead to quantitative changes in the composition of tubers. This work was designed to quantify potassium along aside with some minerals in Irish potatoes during storage with an aqueous solution of maca flour. In the storage process, potatoes are affected by two negative factors, i.e., high (room) temperature, light and physiological activities in the tuber. The values obtained for Irish potato treated with aqueous maca 1:10 mL distilled water (MA1) and untreated potato as control (CTRL) respectively are potassium (173.85 and 93.67 mg/100 g), sodium (99.74 and 39.59 mg/100 g), magnesium (14.20 and 12.37 mg/100 g), phosphorus (56.00 and 39.00 mg/100 g), zinc (0.34 and 0.30 mg/100 g), manganese (0.39 and 0.33 mg/100 g) and copper (0.01and 0.01 mg/100 g). MA1 differs significantly (p < 0.05) from CTRL for potassium, sodium and magnesium phosphorus and zinc while there was no significant difference for manganese and copper. These results indicate that treating potatoes with low concentrations of aqueous maca helps to retain mineral composition during storage.