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Improving Flavor to Increase Consumption

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Abstract

The nutritional benefits of consuming potato are increasingly recognized, however improvements in nutritional quality must proceed with good consumer quality if a variety is going to achieve commercial success. There is a major challenge to provide breeders with the selection tools needed to evaluate and use quality early enough in the breeding program. Reports of flavor and texture trait dissection are starting to surface and rapid advances in “omic” technologies provide the means for assessment of these traits. Translational of this knowledge to high throughput phenotyping platforms that can be used on large numbers of selections will be an important next step with some promising technologies in development. Having identified genes and markers coupled to beneficial alleles for flavor and textural traits, new breeding technologies may provide promising avenues for variety improvement linking consumer preferences for flavor and texture to enhanced nutritional properties.

Resumen

Los beneficios nutrimentales de consumir papa son reconocidos cada vez más, no obstante, el mejoramiento en la calidad nutritiva debe proceder con buena calidad al consumidor si es que una variedad va a alcanzar éxito comercial. Hay un reto mayor para suministrar a los mejoradores con las herramientas de selección necesarias para evaluar y utilizar la calidad lo suficientemente temprano en el programa de mejoramiento. Han empezado a surgir reportes de disección de carctéres de sabor y de textura, y los avances rápidos en tecnologías “omicas” proporcionan los medios para la evaluación de estos rasgos. La transmisión de este conocimiento a plataformas fenotípicas de alto rendimiento que pudieran usarse en grandes números de selecciones serán un siguiente paso importante con algunas tecnologías prometedoras en desarrollo. Habiendo identificado genes y marcadores ensamblados a alelos benéficos para los rasgos de sabor y textura, nuevas tecnologías de mejoramiento pudieran proporcionar rutas prometedoras para mejoramiento de variedades, ligando las preferencias de los consumidores para sabor y textura para propiedades nutrimentales aumentadas.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Scottish Government Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division as part of the Strategic Research Programme 2016-2021.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cellular and Molecular Science, The James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK

    Wayne L. Morris & Mark A. Taylor

Author notes

  1. †Wayne L. Morris is deceased. This paper is dedicated to his memory.

    • Wayne L. Morris
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  1. Wayne L. Morris
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Correspondence to Mark A. Taylor.

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Morris, W.L., Taylor, M.A. Improving Flavor to Increase Consumption. Am. J. Potato Res. 96, 195–200 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-018-09702-7

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