Food - Global Science Books

ABSTRACT
Invited Mini-Review: In October 2007, the United Nations declared 2008 as The Year of the Potato, highlighting the
importance of this crop as a staple food in human nutrition. While fresh potato consumption is decreasing in many countries,
more potatoes are currently processed into value-added products to meet the demand especially from the fast food and
convenience food industries. Potatoes are usually peeled during processing, either by steam, lye or abrasive peeling,
depending on the type of product. As a consequence, large quantities of peels are generated which represent a severe disposal
problem to the industry, especially with the increasing awareness and aims of minimising environmental impact and
sustainability. However, potato peels contain a number of nutritionally and pharmacologically interesting compounds such as
polyphenols and glycoalkaloids, which may be recovered and used as natural antioxidants and precursors for steroid hormones,
respectively. Furthermore, applications of the dietary fibre fraction have been described. This review summarizes the available
literature on potato peel utilization, focusing on the above mentioned constituents, and highlights the potential of an important
by-product of the food industry as a source of valuable compounds.
Enrico Finotti, Enrico Bersani, Vittorio Vivanti (Italy), Mendel Friedman (USA) Application of a Functional Mathematical
Index to the Evaluation of the Nutritional Quality of Potatoes (pp 30-36)
ABSTRACT
Original Research Paper: This paper describes the derivation and application of a new functional mathematical index that was
used to evaluate the nutritional, safety, and processing quality aspects of potatoes. The index introduces the concept of an
“optimal potato”, using appropriate distance and N-dimensional parameter space models. Although the index may not be a
unique answer to the need for defining a “quality potato index”, the results of the present study show that it presents an
approach that can be used to establish whether a specific potato variety or processed potato product can be considered of high,
medium, or low nutritional quality. The main goal of the index is to link composition and chemical quality to factors that govern
growth, production, distribution, and processing of potatoes and potato products for commercial use. In addition, it is expected
that the index will be a useful parameter that can detect critical points (harvest time, storage conditions, treatment processes)
as affected by variety and composition during the entire growth, production, and distribution cycle of potatoes, and thus
suggests new ways to increase the value of potatoes for the human diet. The index is intended to complement and extend
methods for nutritional quality and safety of potato proteins.
Justina Catarino, Elsa Mendonça, Ana Picado, Paulo Partidário, João Nobre da Costa (Portugal) Eco-Efficiency in a
Crispy Chips Industry (pp 37-40)
ABSTRACT
Research Note: Combining economical and environmental efficiencies, eco-efficiency within production processes is a key
path where there is a simultaneous focus on waste prevention and on the improvement of resource productivity – by producing
more with less, towards sustainable production. To achieve such a goal, a Portuguese crispy chips company implemented a
cleaner production approach. That process included the company’s background information, a global inventory based on
manufacturing diagrams, materials accounting, mass balances for the more representative materials, a synthesis of the
production process eco-inefficiencies and its environmental impacts, an identification of ideas to improve the eco-efficiency in
the field, and finally a feasibility analysis regarding technical, environmental and economical aspects. Results show that 75% of
the starch input was converted into the final product, and that 80% of the by-products and wastes were generated before the
frying process. It was also found that water utilization was closely related to the starch path. After a creativity phase where
improvement ideas were generated and a feasibility analysis was done, some solutions were implemented. The implementation
of improvement solutions resulted in an increase in business productivity that enabled the reduction of energy consumption,
water and chemicals inputs, and the volume of sludge. In conclusion, eco-efficiency showed to be of major value to this industry,
converting process inefficiencies into economic opportunities with simultaneous environmental benefits, thus fulfilling the
industry’s objectives towards the challenge of sustainable development.
Elizabeth Troncoso, Rommy Zúñiga, Cristián Ramírez, Javier Parada, Juan Carlos Germain (Chile) Microstructure of
Potato Products: Effect on Physico-Chemical Properties and Nutrient Bioavailability (pp 41-54)
ABSTRACT