The influence of tuber mineral element composition as a function of geographical location on acrylamide formation in different Italian potato genotypes.

Background: The present study was aimed at examining the effect of tuber mineral composition, distinctive for geographical location, on the expression of acrylamide precursors in three potato genotypes (Arinda, Rossa di Cetica and Sieglinde) in three Italian potato cultivation regions (Puglia, Sicily and Tuscany).

Results: Sucrose and amino acids were not correlated with acrylamide formation. In contrast, reducing sugars, limiting with respect to the principal amino acid precursor asparagine, were positively correlated with acrylamide. From analysis of variance, both acrylamide and reducing sugars were not significant for variety but highly significant for location, with higher levels occurring in all three varieties cultivated in Tuscany, followed by Sicily and Puglia respectively. Reducing sugars were negatively correlated with K and Ca and positively correlated with Zn and Cu. Neither N nor P was correlated with reducing sugar content. Path analysis, a statistical technique distinguishing causation and correlation between variables, was implemented to provide additional insight on the interactions between mineral elements and reducing sugars under open field conditions. The variation in reducing sugars in all three varieties was shown to be attributable to Zn.

Conclusion: Cultivation location has a significant impact on the composition of tuber mineral elements and, as a result, on genotype in the expression of reducing sugars. The negative correlation between Zn and K and the variation in reducing sugar content attributed to the element Zn, which is particularly available in acid soils, are important factors warranting future research aimed at reducing acrylamide formation from an agronomic perspective.