Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a promising source of antioxidants with health benefits. The presented study evaluated 15 white and colored potato cultivars, comparing each for total antioxidant compounds. In this research, the skin samples showed higher levels of total phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin compounds than tuber flesh samples. However, in tuber flesh samples, the total phenolic content ranged from 23.55 to 48.39, and the total flavonoid content varied from 9.54 to 21.24 mg 100 g-1 of fresh weight. The highest total phenolic content occurred in the flesh of the purple potato cultivar Monakh (48.39 mg 100 g-1 of fresh weight), and the highest total flavonoid content surfaced from the Udacha cultivar (21.24 mg 100 g-1 of fresh weight). According to these results, potato cultivars with yellow and white tubers have demonstrated total phenolic and flavonoid contents comparable with colored tuber cultivars. However, tubers’ total phenolic and flavonoid contents showed no correlations with the total anthocyanin content (r = 0.3872 and r = 0.1947, respectively). The established results could be beneficial in developing potato cultivars with high concentrations of substances with high antioxidant activities, such as anthocyanins. Potato cultivars with the highest concentration of phenolics and anthocyanin can be alternative functional foods for human nutrition.
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), white and colored potato cultivars, pigmented potato, phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanin compounds
The total phenolic content (TPC) and the total flavonoid content (TFP) showed moderate correlations with the color of potato tubers. Potato cultivars with white and yellow skin had relatively high phenolic and flavonoid content levels in the skin and flesh. Potato genotypes with high levels of phenolic can benefit breeding programs for developing new cultivars. Such varieties represent an important natural source of antioxidants with potentially beneficial effects on human health.