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Human and Clinical Nutrition
Abbreviations: AUC, area under the curve; ECD, electrochemical detector; MPA, metaphosphoric acid; VC, vitamin C
Potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum) are a staple food in many countries worldwide, because they contain an excellent variety of nutrients such as carbohydrates, protein, lipids, dietary fibre, minerals (Zn, Fe, Mg, Ca, K and Na) and vitamins (vitamin C (VC), vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, niacin, pantothenic acid and folic acid)(1,2). Especially notable is the potato's abundant VC content (35 mg/100 g wet weight)(2). VC is a potent soluble antioxidant and cofactor for several hydroxylases involved in catecholamine biosynthesis and collagen polymerisation(3). Since the human body cannot synthesise VC, our VC intake most often comes from foods. Historically, the ingestion of potatoes has contributed to the prevention of VC-deficiency disease, that is, scurvy. Recently, VC has been associated with numerous health benefits including decreased risk of CVD(4), stroke(5-8), age-related cataracts(9,10) and type 2 diabetes mellitus and(11,12) has also decreased the frequency of common colds(13).
Potatoes are usually prepared for eating by baking, boiling, steaming, dehydrating or frying. However, each of these cooking methods causes a lesser or greater loss of VC(1,14,15). However, we previously found that the VC content per wet weight of commercial potato chips was about twice that of unprocessed raw potatoes(16), because rapid frying and complete dehydration during the frying process minimised VC loss. Similarly, potatoes processed by boiling and mashing retain VC. Thus, mashed potatoes and potato chips seem to be a superior dietary source of VC to promote human health.
The effect of all dietary compounds depends on the retention of nutrients in blood and tissues. Therefore, actual bioavailability represents a fundamental issue. Orally administered VC is first absorbed in the small intestine, delivered to the liver, and then circulates in the blood followed by uptake into various tissues(17-19). In...