Exogenous methyl jasmonate diminishes the formation of lipid-derived compounds in boiled potato (Solanum tuberosum L.).

Background: During potato storage the tubers tend to develop off-flavours, mainly due to lipid-derived aldehydes, whose formation is increased after boiling or processing. This may become a problem when boiled or precooked potatoes are used. Methyl jasmonate (MJ) is a phytohormone capable of modifying plant and food composition. The aim of this work was to control the formation of off-flavours in different cultivars of raw potato during storage by MJ treatment.

Results: The use of Carbowax 20M as support in MJ emulsion resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) lower levels of lipid-derived compounds than the use of lanolin. Levels of the lipid-derived aldehydes propanal, hep-2-enal, nonanal, oct-2-enal and hexanal, although dependent on variety, generally decreased significantly (P < 0.05) after treatment with MJ/Carbowax 20M emulsion. Sugar-derived compounds such as pyridine and furfural, however, were not affected by this treatment.

Conclusion: Treatment with MJ/Carbowax 20M can be used to diminish the formation of off-flavours in boiled potato. However, this treatment is not useful to avoid the sweetening caused by sugar-derived products. Additional advantages of exogenous MJ are a delay in the appearance of sprouting and aging and hence prolongation of the storage life of potato tubers.