Cultivar-Specific Variation in the Content of Nitrates (V) and (III) Depending on Potato Tuber Storage

The order to monitor the chemical pollution of food, the dynamic development of ecology and specialisation in potato production as well as its large consumption caused the investigations about the influence of storage time and genetic conditions of potato on con-tents of nitrates (V) and (III) in tubers for different use purposes during 2009–2011.

In the present study, eight cultivars of potatoes with different use purposes and duration of vegetation time obtained from producer Norika Poland INC were used: ‘Albatros’, ‘Gala’, ‘Karatop’, ‘Kar-lena’, ‘Kiebitz’, ‘Lambada’, ‘Molli’ and ‘Pirol’.

The tubers of cultivars used for processing such as starch pro-duction (‘Albatros’) as well as chips and crisps (‘Karlena’) were characterised by the highest content of nitrates (V) and (III). After 6 months of storage, a significant decrease of nitrates (V) and (III) contents was observed, which from the point of view of the con-sumer should be considered as the beneficial effect. Regardless of cultivar, the depletion of nitrates (V) was in the mean of 4.7% and of nitrates (III) was about 4.4%. Regardless of the use purposes, the intake of 300 g of investigated potato tubers after harvest as well as after storage time does not exceed the recommended daily allowance for nitrates (V) and (III), where after the storage time this amount is even declining.