Potato production Trade is opting for processed potato

Potato production • Trade is opting for processed potato. • Processed potato has overtaken fresh potato in terms of output and turnover. • " In 2005 potato production in the developing world exceeded that of the developed world. ; " • Between 1995 and 2005 processed potato output rose from five million tonnes to over 10 and the value of these transactions doubled from 2, 000 million dollars to almost 4, 000. • Fresh potato was worth less than 2, 500 million dollars for an output of just under 10 million tonnes. 1

The top ten potato producers 2

• These trade figures highlight another clear trend in the sector: fresh potato consumption in developed countries has been decreasing for over a decade. • The strong demand for fast food, snacks, and prepared products has driven annual growth in the processing industry and has been caused by social change brought about by the growth in urban populations with increasingly less time to cook. 3

• Potato production in developed countries, and Europe in particular, has decreased by an average of 1% in the last 20 years. • In contrast, developing countries maintain an annual 5% growth rate, mainly in China and India. • These two countries are responsible for 30% of the world’s potato production (China, 22% and India, 8%). 4

• In 1994, the E. U. produced 29%, but by 2005 output had fallen to 20%. • If this data were analysed today, the figures would almost certainly be even lower. • Should the trend continue, then in just twenty years’ time production in developing countries will exceed that of the developed world by 20%. 5

Fifty potato facts • 1. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the third most important food crop in the world after rice and wheat. Annual production exceeds 320 million tonnes. • 2. China is the world's biggest producer of potatoes, growing over 70 million tonnes a year. • 3. In the last 40 years the potato has changed from a northern crop, with only 15 percent produced in the south to one in which over half the world’s potato production is in less-developed countries. • 4. Today, more than a billion people worldwide eat potato. 6

• 5. People in Belarus eat the most potatoes overall, consuming 184 kg/year person, way ahead of Russia, at 140 kg/year. • 6. The potato is now grown in about 130 countries of the world and all the states in the USA. • 7. Potatoes were first domesticated in the southeast highlands of South America, in Peru, near the Bolivian border, close to Lake Titicaca, where it has been eaten for more than 8000 years. • 8. There about 5000 different varieties of potato, mostly found in the Andes. • 9. Potatoes can grow from sea level to 4700 meters above sea level, from Chile to Greenland. 7

• 10. At high altitudes, the pre-Inca cultures and later the Incas, bred special frost-tolerate potato plants with high glycoalkaloid (antifreeze!) content. • Then they dehydrated and freeze-dried the potatoes, using the freezing night temperatures and the hot sunshine of the daylight hours. • The potatoes were then stored for use by their armies and a guard against famine. • These potatoes, called chuño, are still processed in the same way and eaten today. 8

• 11. Spanish explorers brought the plant to Europe in the late 16 th century as a botanical curiosity. By the 19 th century the potato had spread throughout Europe and elsewhere, providing cheap and abundant food. • 12. One hectare of potato can yield two to four times the food value of grain crops. • 13. Potatoes produce more food per unit of water than any other major crop and are up to seven times more efficient in using water than cereals. 9

• 14. Potato has attractive flowers that are fivelobed, 2 -3 cm in diameter varying in color from white to deep bluish purple. Some varieties have a strong, attractive perfume. • 15. Potatoes are usually grown from other they can be grown from seed like any other plant. • 16. A potato is about 80% water and 20% solid. • 17. The potato is a member of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) along with chili peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and tobacco. 10

• 18. The potato is NOT related to the sweetpotato. • 19. Green potato skins and sprouts contain a toxin called solanine that is poisonous. • 20. Potatoes are an excellent source of carbohydrates, with about 23 grams of carbohydrates in a mediumsized tuber. • 21. Potatoes are very low in fat, with just 5 percent of the fat content of wheat, and one-fourth the calories of bread. • Boiled, they have more protein than maize, and nearly twice the calcium. 11

• 22. Each medium size potato provides about 110 calories, with about 3 grams of protein and no fat. • 23. When boiled, a single medium-sized potato contains about half the daily adult requirement of vitamin C, as well as significant amounts of iron, potassium and zinc. • 24. Potatoes contain substantial amounts of vitamin B. • 25. The Spanish noticed that the sailors who ate potatoes did not suffer from scurvy, because of their vitamin C content, and potatoes were soon a standard supply item on the Spanish ships. • 26. Potatoes can provide the body with more iron than any other vegetable, because the iron in potatoes is easier for the body to absorb. 12

• 27. An average serving of potatoes with the skin on provides about 10 percent of the recommended daily intake of fiber. • 28. Plain boiled or microwaved potatoes are not high in calories and are an idea part of a low-calorie diet. • However, just one tablespoon of butter will double the number of calories in a baked potato. • 29. The potato contains valuable supplies of such essential trace elements as manganese, chromium, selenium and molybdenum. • 30. Potatoes can have white, yellow, pink, red, purple and even blue flesh color. 13

• Yellow is primarily due the carotenoids concentrations and the red, purple and blue color to anthocyanins. • Both carotenoids and anthocyanins are antioxidants and are thought to play an important role in preventing cancer • 31. Because of the way that potatoes transfer heat, an oven temperature above 177 deg C is needed to bake a potato properly. • 32. Potatoes do not absorb salt when they are boiling, so add salt after they have been cooked. • 33. When potatoes first reached Europe, the Scots refused to eat them because they were not mentioned in the Bible. 14

• 34. The best French fries (chips) are fried twice. Cut up the potatoes and leave them in cold water for an hour before frying. • Dry them thoroughly then drop them into hot oil and cook them slowly until they are soft in the middle. • Remove them from the oil, drain them well, then dump them into really hot oil. This makes the outer surface golden brown and crunchy. • 35. In 1853 potato chips (crisps) were invented by accident in Saratoga Springs, New York when Commodore Vanderbilt complained to his steward that he made his French fries too thick. • The steward sliced some potatoes as thin as he could, placed them in boiling fat and served them, much to the delight of the Commodore. 15

• 36. In the late 1800 s/early 1900 s, vodka made from potatoes was first produced, in Poland, more than halving the cost of producing vodka from wheat. • 37. About 5 kg of potatoes are required to make one litre of vodka. • 38. In 1903 the Lumière brothers in France patented the autochrome process of colour photography, and first marketed it in 1907. • Microscopic grains of dyed potato starch grains were sandwich held on to a glass negative with silver halide emulsion to produce the first color photography process. • It remained the principal color photography process available, until it was superseded by the advent of color film during the mid-1930 s. 16

• 39. In 1952, Mr. Potato Head was born, consisting entirely of plastic parts. • Consumers had to supply the potato to attach the arms and legs, etc. • Mr. Potato Head was the first toy to be advertised on network television. • Mrs. Potato Head appeared in 1953. • Mr. Potato Head has acted in two major films, Toy Story 1 and 2, but has never received an Oscar. • 40. In 1960 Dr. Edward Anton Asselbergs, working for Agriculture Canada in Ottawa, developed the process for making instant mashed potato flakes - the patent that is used world wide today. . 17

• 41. In 1974, an Englishman by the name of Eric Jenkins grew 168 kg of potatoes from a single plant. This world record still stands today • 42. In 1975 the largest potato was grown, in England, weighing in at over 8 kg, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. • 43. In 1981, a small company in the UK started selling hedgehog-flavor potato chips (crisps). • 44. In 1993, an inventor in Idaho (Mr. “Pops” Hutchins) patented a gun that used small chunks of flash-frozen potato to remove paint from bricks on old buildings. 18

• 45. In 1995, the potato was the first vegetable to be grown in space, aboard the shuttle Columbia, because it is a prime candidate for supplying food for long space voyages to Mars and beyond. • 46. The term 'spud' comes from the Irish name for a type of spade used for digging potatoes. • 47. Store potatoes in a cool, dark place that is well ventilated. Put them in a brown paper bag if storing them in the light. 19

• 48. Do not store potatoes in a refrigerator, the starch in them will begin to change into sugar and make them taste sweet and turn dark when they are cooked. • 49. Potato starch is used to make biodegradable golf tees. • 50 The International Potato Center (CIP) in Lima, Peru maintains the largest collection of potatoes in the world, including almost 5000 varieties of about 100 wild species. The collection is maintained in trust under the auspices of the United Nations. 20

Potato processing • Commercial policies • Ad valorem import duties are used to protect domestic fresh potato markets. • These restrictive policies include health and phytosanitary measures and technical obstacles to trade. • The consolidation rates for World Trade Organisation agreements vary considerably. • The potato is a classic example of the “progressivity of duties” where importing countries protect their processing industries and the processed product is subject to higher duties than the raw material itself. 21

Potato composition • Potato is a rich source of starch and it is consumed mainly for its calorific value. • Potato also contains significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. • It is estimated that about 25 % of the potatoes, which are spoiled due to several reasons, may be saved by processing and preservation of various types of processed products. 22

Why potatoes? • In the next two decades, the world population is estimated to grow on average by more than a hundred million people per year. More than 95 percent of that increase will occur in the developing countries, where the pressures on earth, water and other natural resources is already intense. • The potato is the most important root and tuber crop in the world. It is a major carbohydrate in the diet of hundreds of millions of people in the developing countries. The crop is fundamental in the diets of populations in countries in South America, Africa, Central Asia and Asia. 23

• The potato is the third most important food crop in the world, after rice and wheat. Since the early 1960 s, it has outstripped all other food crops in the developing countries in terms of growth in production area, and this trend is expected to continue. • The potato yields more nutritious food more quickly on less land in harsher climates than any other major crop: up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, while for cereals the figure is around 50 percent. 24

• Potatoes are rich in protein, calcium and vitamin C and have an especially good amino acid balance. A single medium-sized potato contains about half the daily adult requirement of vitamin C; other staples such as rice and wheat have none. Boiled, it has more protein than maize, and nearly twice the calcium. 25

• Potatoes can be harvested in the tropics within 50 days of planting – a third of the time it takes in colder climates. In highland areas of southern China and Vietnam, the potato is emerging as an off-season crop; planted in rotation with potato and maize, it brings relatively high prices at the market. Similarly, in the lowlands of Bangladesh and eastern India the potato's importance as a winter cash crop is rising dramatically 26

• Potatoes contribute to health by providing calories and providing nutrients. Potatoes are a valuable source of nutrition in many developing countries, contributing carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to the diet. Research is underway to increase the vitamin content of modern potato varieties, using biotechnology to boost the micronutrient level in the tubers 27

Potato products and ingredients • • • French Fries and Potato Specialties Chips and Snacks Dehydrated Potato Products Potato Starch Other Potato Products Read more: http: //www. potatopro. com/Lists/News/Other%20 Potato%20 Products. aspx#ixzz 00 u 1 V 1 Sks 28

• The potatoes can be processed for preservation and value addition in the form of wafers/ chips, powder, flakes, granules, canned slices • A potato crisp is a thin slice of potato, either flat or wavy, fried in vegetable oil and salted or seasoned to taste. • Potato granules are used for the preparation of various recipes, to add to vegetable and nonvegetable recipes and to enhance the quantity as well as to enrich the food value 29

• There is a huge potential for processed potato products such as potato flakes, potato powder, frozen potatoes, frozen french fries • Potato chips/wafers are one of the most popular snack items consumed throughout world. It is by far the largest product category within snacks, with 85% of the total market revenue • India is one of the largest snack markets in the Asia-Pacific region contributing three percent to the total Asia-Pacific snack market revenue. 30

• There is an increased opportunity for the players in Potato chips to act as contract manufacturers for the leading global brands entering the Indian market • The range of potato chip production includes high technology lines having a production capacity from 80 up to 2, 000 kg/h of finished product. • The range of French Fry production includes high technology lines having a production capacity from 300 up to 6, 000 kg/h of finished product. • Turnkey Project Execution companies are there with attractive offers 31

Potato Starch • Potato Starch manufacturer Avebe is expecting a substantial lower crop • Netherlands, October 18, 2010 • AVEBE recognizes this year’s Western European weather conditions of a cold spring, hot and dry early summer and wet late summer, being unfavorable for starch crops to grow, inevitably leading to lower yields. • The general indications of the current harvest, which has started recently, shows that the European potato starch crop will be 15 - 20 % lower than average crops. 32

• Global supply of wheat and corn are in a similar situation due to abnormal weather conditions. • The market prices are high and very volatile. • Tapioca supply is very low due to mealy bug infestation in Thailand. • Due to these circumstances starch prices are rapidly rising worldwide. Read more: http: //www. potatopro. com/Lists/News/Potato %20 Starch. aspx#ixzz 15 x 7 DZel 6 33

French fry • Whether it's straight cut fries, crinkle cut fries, curly fries, or potato wedges, • Heat and Control's french fry and formed potato products frying systems are the workhorses of the industry. • Our fryers, heat exchangers, oil filtration, pumping and control systems can produce up to 50, 000 pounds per hour of finished product. 34

French fry processing • Potatoes arriving at a french fry processing plant are the end product of several integrated production systems, all aimed at producing high quality potato tubers. • Once the appropriate cultivar has been chosen, disease-free seed stock is produced and multiplied. • The seed tubers are then planted on a commercial farm to produce the crop destined for processing. • At each level of production, the tubers must be stored under the proper conditions to ensure the processing plant receives high-quality potatoes. 35

Potato Cultivars • Commercial french fries in North America are produced from predominantly two potato cultivars, Russet Burbank and Shepody. • Both have Ø high specific gravity (a measure of dry matter), Ø low sugar content and are Ø oblong to long in shape. 36

• These characteristics result in a high yield of long, light-coloured french fries. • Russet Burbank is the mainstay of the industry and the cultivar most in demand by quick service restaurants. • Shepody is used because it matures earlier in the growing season than Russet Burbank and gives a high recovery of finished product. • A good potato crop begins with high quality seed tubers. • Potatoes are propagated vegetatively. A small whole tuber or piece of a larger tuber is planted in the field to produce the crop. 37

• Consequently, there is a risk of disease carryover from one growing season to the next and precautions must be taken to reduce the possible infection of the crop in the field during the growing season. • In Canada, to assure a high level of uniform quality seed, tubers are grown under a national seed certification system. • Seed production begins by establishing plantlets in test tubes thus providing a diseasefree environment for their growth. • The process starts with sprouts removed from a tuber and placed on nutrient medium. 38

• It can take up to 16 weeks for these sprouts to grow into a plantlet. • Once plantlets are determined to be free of viral, viroid, fungal and bacterial pathogens, they are multiplied by nodal cutting. • The plantlets are divided into pieces and grown on a nutrient medium. • After 6 months of repeated cutting in culture, a single plantlet can yield 18, 125 new plantlets. • These plantlets are then used as a disease free source for subsequent seed production. 39

• The process starts by using these plantlets to produce Nuclear Stock seed tubers (minitubers) in an enclosed environment, a greenhouse or screenhouse. • The minitubers are then planted the following season to produce the first field generation of seed potatoes. • The potatoes are multiplied in the field for several years on specialized seed farms to produce enough seed tubers to plant the commercial acreage needed by a processing plant. • With each successive field generation, the risk of disease and the level of disease may increase. 40

• To minimize the risk, growers rogue all unhealthy plants, follow a proactive pest management program and top kill the vines 80 -90 days after planting. • Seed potatoes are also inspected in the field and storage by Canadian Food Inspection Agency officers to meet certification standards aimed at minimizing diseases present in a seed crop. • The presence of disease in seed tubers reduces yield and impacts processing value of the crop. • Potato Leafroll Virus, for example, is carefully monitored because it may result in stem end necrosis in the tubers of some cultivars rendering them unusable for processing, notably Russet Burbank. 41

• Each autumn seed tubers are held in dedicated • environmentally controlled storage facilities until spring planting. • To maintain varietal purity, each seed lot and cultivar is stored separately. • Seed tubers are stored at high relative humidity and a constant 4°C to maintain quality and minimize sprout growth before planting. • No chemical sprout inhibitors are used in the seed storage. 42

Producing the commercial crop • When producing a crop of potatoes destined for the fry plant, certified seed tubers are planted in the spring. • It is recommended that growers follow a three-year crop rotation that includes cereals. • At the time of planting, fertilizer is incorporated into the soil. • The crop is managed to produce potatoes with desirable processing characteristics: large size, high dry matter content and lack of internal disorders. 43

• Rigorous pest and disease management programs are followed so a healthy crop is harvested and stored. • Growers scout each field regularly for signs of insect pests and diseases, and apply the appropriate control measure when necessary. • Crop growth is monitored closely to ensure vigorous growth, proper plant nutrition and give an indication of crop maturity status. 44

• Above-ground green leaves and stems are often removed with chemicals (called topkilling) approximately three weeks prior to harvest. • Topkilling prevents the tubers from getting too large, sets the tuber skin, and allows for timing of harvest to avoid inclement weather (frost) during harvest or supply the fry plant at a desired time. • In New Brunswick, tubers are harvested approximately 110 -120 days after planting. • A small portion of the potato crop is processed into french fries directly from the field. The remaining harvested tubers are held in storage. 45

Storing the crop • Storing processing potatoes is a specialized art. • Freshly harvested tubers are first cured at 13°C for several weeks to heal wounds and set the skin. • The temperature is then lowered to 8° - 10°C for long term storage. • Humidity, ventilation and temperature are carefully controlled to maintain tuber quality. • Storage temperatures are kept constant and above 7°C to prevent the accumulation of sugars which result in dark processed products. 46

• Sprout inhibitors are applied either as a spray in the field or through the storage ventilation system in the late fall to stop the tubers from sprouting. • Developing sprouts dehydrate tubers and reduce quality. • Tubers must be stored up to 8 months to ensure a constant supply of raw product for the plant. • The potatoes that originated from a tiny piece of sprout in the laboratory over five years ago are now ready to be processed into french fries. • Prepared by: Dr. Loretta Mikitzel, New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Potato Development Centre, Wicklow, NB E 7 L 3 S 4 47

French fry processing • French fries (American English, sometimes capitalized, • fries, or French-fried potatoes are thin strips of deep -fried potato. • Americans often refer to any elongated pieces of fried potatoes as fries, while in other parts of the world, most notably the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland New Zealand, long, thinly cut slices of fried potatoes are called fries to distinguish them from the thickly cut strips called chips. • French fries are known as frites or pommes frites in French, a name which is also used in many non. French-speaking areas, and have names that mean "fried potatoes" or "French potatoes" in others. 48

French Fry Processing: Contents • • France and French speaking Canada Spain Spreading popularity Variants Accompaniments Health aspects Legal issues See also • • References A dish of French fries External links 49

Oven baked fries • The French term 'frite' denotes deep frying, unlike the English 'fried', which may also refer to sautéing or pan-frying, so 'French fried' may simply mean 'deep-fried'. • Thomas Jefferson at a White House dinner in 1802 served "potatoes served in the French manner". • In the early 20 th century, the term "French fried" was being used for foods such as onion rings or chicken, apart from potatoes. 50

• It is unlikely that 'French fried' refers to 'frenching' in the sense of "julienning" and is not attested until after 'French fried potatoes'; previously, Frenching referred only to trimming the meat off the shanks of chops. 51

Culinary origin: Belgium • The Belgian journalist Jo Gérard recounts that potatoes were fried in 1680 in the Spanish Netherlands, in the area of "the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liège, Belgium. • The poor inhabitants of this region allegedly had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals. “ 52

• Many Belgians[who? ] believe that the term "French" was introduced when American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I, and consequently tasted Belgian fries. • They supposedly called them "French", as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time. • "Les frites" (French) or "Frieten" (Dutch) became the national snack and a substantial part of several national dishes. 53

Great Britain: Chips • Fish and chips. • The first chips fried in Britain were apparently on the site of Oldham's Tommyfield Market in 1860. • In Scotland, chips were first sold in Dundee, ". . . in the 1870 s, that glory of British gastronomy – the chip – was first sold by Belgian immigrant Edward De Gernier in the city’s Greenmarket. • Traditional "chips" in the United Kingdom and Ireland are usually cut much thicker, typically between 9. 5– 13 mm (⅜ - ½ inches) square in cross-section and cooked twice (although double frying is less commonly practiced today), making them more crunchy on the outside and fluffier on the inside. 54

• Since the surface-to-volume ratio is lower, they have a lower fat content. • Thick-cut British chips are occasionally made from unpeeled potatoes to enhance their flavor and nutrional content, and are not necessarily served as crisp as the European French fry due to their higher relative water content. • Chips are part of the popular take-out dish fish and chips. • In the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, few towns are without a fish and chip shop. • In these countries, the term "French fries" refers to the narrow-cut (shoestring) fries that are served by American-based fast food franchises. 55

France and French speaking Canada • In France and French speaking Canada, fried potatoes are called "pommes de terres frites" , "pommes frites" or more simply (and commonly) "frites". • Pomme frites are somewhat different than American French fries in that they are often fried twice, use different oils to fry them, and also different types of potatoes are used. • Eating potatoes was promoted in France by Parmentier, but he did not mention fried potatoes in particular. 56

• Many Americans attribute the dish to France and offer as evidence a notation by U. S. President Thomas Jefferson. • ("Potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small cuttings") in a manuscript in Thomas Jefferson's hand (circa 18011809) and the recipe almost certainly comes from his French chef, Honoré Julien. • In addition, from 1813 on, recipes for what can be described as French fries, occur in popular American cookbooks. • By the late 1850 s, one of these mentions the term "French fried potatoes". . 57

Spain • In Spain, fried potatoes are called "patatas fritas". • Another common form in which the potatoes are cut into irregular shapes and seasoned with a spicy tomato sauce, are called "patatas bravas". • Some claim that the dish was invented in Spain, the first European country in which the potato appeared via the New World colonies, and assumes the first appearance to have been as an accompaniment to fish dishes in Galicia, from which it spread to the rest of the country and further to the Spanish Netherlands, which became Belgium more than a century later. • Professor Paul Ilegems, curator of the Friet-museum in Antwerp, Belgium, believes that Saint Teresa of Ávila fried the first chips, referring also to the tradition of frying in Mediterranean cuisine 58

Spreading popularity and United States influence • French fry production at a restaurant with thermostatic temperature control. • Although the thicker cut European style of fried potato (known as chips) was already a popular dish in most Commonwealth countries, the thin style of French fries has been popularized worldwide in part by U. S. -based fast food chains such as Mc. Donald's. 59

• Pre-made French fries have been available for home cooking since the 1960 s, usually having been prefried (or sometimes baked), frozen and placed in a sealed plastic bag. • Later varieties of French fries include those which have been battered and breaded, and many U. S. fast food and casual-food chains have turned to dusting with kashi, dextrin, and flavors coating for crispier fries with particular tastes. • Results with batterings and breadings, followed by microwaving, have not achieved widespread critical acceptance. • Oven frying delivers a dish different from its traditionally fried counterpart. 60

Variants • Animal fries (covered with cheese, • grilled onions, and spread) from In-N-Out Burger's secret menu. • There are variants such as "thick-cut fries", "steak fries", "shoestring fries", "jojo fries", "crinkle fries", and "curly fries". • Fries cut thickly with the skin left on are called potato wedges, and fries without the potato skin are called "steak fries", essentially the American equivalent of the British "chip". 61

• They can also be coated with breading, spices, or other ingredients, which include garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, and salt to create "seasoned fries", or cheese to create cheese fries, or chili to create chili fries. • Sometimes, French fries are cooked in the oven as a final step in the preparation (having been coated with oil during preparation at the factory): these are often sold frozen and are called "oven fries" or "oven chips". • Some restaurants in the southern and northeastern United States, particularly New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and Louisiana, offer French fries made from sweet potatoes instead of traditional potatoes. 62

Chili cheese fries • In France, the thick-cut fries are called "Pommes Pont -Neuf" or simply "pommes frites", about 10 mm; thinner variants are "pommes allumettes" (matchstick potatoes), ± 7 mm, and "pommes pailles" (potato straws), 3– 4 mm (roughly ⅜, ¼ and ⅛ inch respectively). • The two-bath technique is standard (Bocuse). "Pommes gaufrettes" or "waffle fries" are not typical French fried potatoes, but actually crisps obtained by quarter turning the potato before each next slide over a grater and deep-frying just once. 63

• Sweet potato fries served in a restaurant in Harvard Square. • Jean Ceustermans, a Belgian chef patented "steppegras" ("prairie grass"), his variety of extremely thin-cut French fried potatoes developed in 1968 while working in Germany. The name refers to a dish including its particular sauce, and to his restaurant. • In an interview, Burger King president Donald Smith said that his chain's fries are sprayed with a sugar solution shortly before being packaged and shipped to individual outlets. 64

• The sugar caramelizes in the cooking fat, producing the golden color customers expect. • Without it, the fries would be nearly the same color outside as inside: pasty yellow. • Smith believes that Mc. Donald's also sugarcoats its fries. • Mc. Donalds was assumed to fry their fries for a total time of about 15 to 20 minutes, and with fries fried at least twice. • The fries appear to contain beef tallow, or shortening. 65

Curly fries • Curly fries are a kind of French fry characterized by their unique spring-like shape. • They are generally made from whole potatoes that are cut using a specialised spiral slicer. • They are also typically characterized by the presence of additional seasonings (which give the fries a more orange appearance when compared to the more yellow appearance of standard fries), although this is not always the case. 66

• Sometimes they are packaged for preparation at home, often in frozen packs. • In the US they can also be found at a number of restaurants and fast food outlets like Arby's and Hardee's, where they are served with condiments such as ketchup, cheese, fry sauce, or sweet chili sauce and sour cream. 67

list of accompaniments with french fries • French fries are almost always salted just after cooking. • They are then served with a variety of condiments, notably vinegar (especially malt vinegar), salt, ketchup, curry ketchup (mildly hot mix of the former), hot or chili sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, bearnaise sauce, tartar sauce, tzatziki, feta cheese, garlic sauce, fry sauce, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, gravy, aioli, brown sauce, lemon, piccalilli, pickled cucumber, gherkins, very small pickled onions, honey or hot sauce 68

Health aspects • Fries cooking in oil. • French fries can contain a large amount of fat from frying. • A 13 year long observation performed by the University of Maastricht, Holland, on 120. 000 subjects between 55 and 70, has shown that increased intake of acrylamide (formed when potatoes are baked or fried) raises the chance of kidney cancer by 60%. . • In the United States about ¼ of vegetables consumed are prepared as French fries and are proposed to contribute to widespread obesity. 69

• Frying French fries in beef tallow, lard, or other animal fats adds saturated fat to the diet. • Replacing animal fats with tropical oils such as palm oil simply substitutes one saturated fat for another. • Replacing animal fats with partially hydrogenated oil reduces cholesterol but adds trans fat, which has been shown to both raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol. • Canola oil could also be used, but beef lard is generally more popular, especially amongst fast food outlets that use communal oil baths. • Many restaurants now advertise their use of unsaturated oils. Five Guys, for example, advertises their fries are prepared in peanut oil. 70

Legal issues • In 1994 Peter Stringfellow, the owner of Stringfellows nightclub in London, took exception to Mc. Cain Foods' use of the name "Stringfellows" for a brand of long thin French fries and took them to court. • He lost the case (Stringfellows v Mc. Cain Food (GB) Ltd (1994)) on the basis that there was no connection in the public mind between the two uses of the name, and therefore Mc. Cain's product would not have caused the nightclub to lose any sales. 71

• In New Zealand in 1995 some branches of the local fast food chain Georgie Pie took to calling their French fries "Kiwi Fries", in opposition to the French resumption of nuclear testing in the South Pacific. • In early 2003 some members of the United States Congress caused French fries to be renamed "freedom fries" in the restaurant of the House of Representatives in response to France's opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq. • By 2006 the menu at the House restaurant had reverted to calling them French fries. 72

• In June 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture, with the advisement of a federal district judge from Beaumont, Texas, classified batter-coated French fries as a vegetable under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. • Although this was primarily done for trade reasons – French fries do not meet the standard to be listed as a "processed food" – it received significant media attention partially due to the documentary Super Size Me 73

Fast Food Fast Facts • Americans consume, on average, thirty pounds of french fries person, per year. • Just three companies control 80% of the french-fry market. • Half of Idaho’s potato farmers have been put of business by corporate potato farms. 74

The Farm • We often think of farming, and especially something as wholesome as potato farming, as the domain of hardworking, rugged individual farmers. • This is far from the case, in the highly centralized, corporate world of potato farming that yields the billions of french fries Americans eat each year. • In the past twenty-five years, Idaho has lost half of its potato farmers, while the amount of land devoted to potato farming has increased by onethird. 75

• Thousands of acres of corporate farms are split into smaller shares that are sometimes managed by displaced farmers, but even those farmers see only one to two cents of every $1. 50 spent on a large order of fries made from their potatoes, despite the enormous profits made on potato products. • Just three companies, Simplot, Lamb-Weston, and Mc. Cain, control 80% of the french fry market. • Considering that about thirty pounds of french fries are eaten per American every year, this is an enormous business, both in wealth and scope. • An industry with so few buyers between the farmer and consumer drives down the price of potatoes so much that small farmers cannot compete. 76

Factory Processing • French fry processing is a massive operation. • Each day at just one Lamb-Weston plant, about a dozen railway cars and two dozen tractor trailers are filled with Mc. Donalds fries alone. • The processing of french fries is almost entirely mechanized for consistency and cost control. • Potatoes are loaded into a processing plant, and dumped into a giant water tank, which allows the potatoes to float to the top and rocks to sink to the bottom. 77

• By agitating the water, the potatoes are separated by size, and sent to a machine that blasts them with steam for twelve seconds, causing the skins to explode from the potato. • They are then shot through a “water gun knife” which shoots the potatoes at 117 feet per second through steel blades, which produce uniformly cut shoestring fries. • Video cameras scrutinize the process and optical sorters remove any blemished fries. • The blemished fries are then moved to a machine that precisely removes the blemish. 78

• From there, sprays of hot water blanch the fries, hot air dries them, and they fry to a light crisp in 25, 000 pounds of boiling oil. • They are air cooled and quickly frozen by compressed ammonia gas, then a computerized sorter divides them into six-pound batches. • The fries are spun in a giant centrifuge so that they all point in the same direction, sealed in brown bags which are loaded by robots into cardboard boxes, stacked by robots onto pallets, then, finally moved by human-driven forklifts to a freezer for storage. 79

Additives & Flavoring • Once a batch of french fries reaches a Mc. Donalds it is fried in soybean oil or corn oil and heavily salted. • For decades Mc. Donald's cooked its french fries in a mixture largely comprised of beef tallow. • The mixture gave the fries their flavor, and more saturated fat per ounce than a hamburger. • Amid pressure from consumer groups over the amount of cholesterol in its fries, Mc. Donalds switched to vegetable oil. • Fried products take much of their flavor from the oil in which they are fried, so Mc. Donalds was forced to find a way to make their fries taste like beef without frying them in beef tallow. 80

• The solution was the “natural flavors” listed in the ingredients. • According to federal regulations, natural flavors are: Ø "the essential oil, Ø oleoresin, Ø essence or extractive, Ø protein hydrolysate, Ø distillate, 81

• or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from Ø a spice, Ø fruit or fruit juice, Ø vegetable or vegetable juice, Ø edible yeast, Ø herb, Ø bark, Ø bud, Ø root, 82

Ø leaf or similar plant material, Ø meat, Ø seafood, Ø poultry, Ø eggs, Ø dairy products, • or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional. " 83

• Essentially, natural flavors are any processed form of something edible used to add flavor. • The umbrella term “natural flavors” allows companies to keep their formulas secret. • For Mc. Donalds fries, “natural flavors” in the form of a beef extract are added during the parfrying stage of processing. 84

Potato chip • A potato chip or crisp is a thin slice of potato, deep fried or baked until crisp. • Potato chips serve as an appetizer, side dish, or snack. • Commercial varieties are packaged for sale, usually in bags. • The simplest chips of this kind are just cooked and salted, but manufacturers can add a wide variety of flavoring (mostly made using herbs, spices, cheese, artificial additives or MSG). 85

• Chips are an important part of the snack food market in English-speaking countries and many other Western nations. • There is little consistency in the English speaking world for names of fried potato cuttings. • American and Canadian-English uses 'chips' for the above mentioned dish • - this term is also used in continental Europe -- and sometimes 'crisps' for the same made from batter, and 'French fries' for the hot crispy batons with a soft core. 86

• In the United Kingdom and Ireland, 'crisps' are the brittle slices eaten at room temperature and 'chips' refer to the hot dish (as in 'fish and chips'). • In Australia, New Zealand some parts of South Africa, both forms of potato product are simply known as 'chips', as are the larger "home-style" potato chips. • Sometimes the distinction is made between 'hot chips' (French fried potatoes) and 'packet chips'. • Non-potato based chips also exist. Kumara (sweet potato) chips are eaten in New Zealand Japan; parsnip, beetroot and carrot crisps are available in the United Kingdom. 87

• India is famous for a large number of localized 'chips shops', selling not only potato chips but also other varieties such as plantain chips, yam chips and even carrot chips. • In Australia, a new variety of Pringles made from rice have been released and marketed as lower in fat than their potato counterparts. • Recently, the Australian company Absolute Organic has also released chips made from beetroot. • Since potatoes are 75% water it takes approximately four pounds of potatoes to make one pound of potato chips. 88

Origins • Some believe that the original potato chip recipe was created by chef George Crum, who is from Native American and African American descent, at Moon's Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York, on August 24, 1853. • Fed up with a customer who continued to send his fried potatoes back complaining that they were too thick and soggy, Crum decided to slice the potatoes so thin that they couldn't be eaten with a fork. • As they couldn't be fried normally in a pan, he decided to stir-fry the potato slices. 89

• Against Crum's expectation, the guest was ecstatic about the new chips and they soon became a regular item on the lodge's menu, under the name "Saratoga Chips. " • They eventually became popular throughout New York and New England. • One version of this story credits John Harvey Kellogg (the brother of the Dr. Kellogg who founded the company which bears the family name) as the customer who wanted them thinner; another wrongly identifies him as Cornelius Vanderbilt. 90

• The owners of the restaurant Schweizerhaus in Wurstelprater, Vienna's largest permanent amusement park, claim that their site is where what they call Rohscheiben (raw slices) was invented. fact date=July 2008 • An earlier reference to what are now known as potato chips is Alexis Soyer's recipe in "Shilling Cookery for People" (1845). • Here raw potatoes, "almost shavings" are fried. • Earlier still, Mary Randolph's book "The Virginia House-wife" (1824) has a part titled "To fry Sliced Potatoes" here raw potatoes are cut into slices or thin shavings and fried "till they are crisp. " 91

• In the 20 th century, potato chips spread beyond chef-cooked restaurant fare and began to be mass produced for home consumption; • Dayton, Ohio-based Mike-sell's Potato Chip Company, founded in 1910, calls itself the "oldest potato chip company in the United States". • Before the airtight sealed bag was developed, chips were stored in barrels or tins which allowed them to go stale and damp. 92

• Then Laura Scudder invented the potato chip bag by ironing together two pieces of waxed paper, thereby creating an airtight seal and keeping the chips fresh until opened. • In 1934 Akron, Ohio, potato chip maker K. T. Salem was the first to distribute chips in glassine waxed paper bags. • Today, chips are packaged in plastic bags, with nitrogen gas blown in prior to sealing in order to lengthen shelf life and provide protection against crushing. 93

Economy • The global potato chips market generated total revenues of 16. 4 billion dollars in 2005. • This accounted for 35. 5% of the total savory snacks market in that year (46. 1 billion dollars). [http: //www. potatopro. com/Pr/Eshot/Savory%20 Snacks%20 Global%20 In dustry%20 Guide. aspx Potato. Pro/Datamonitor] ] 94

Seasoned chips • Initially, chips went unseasoned until a twist of salt was placed inside the bag, to be added when required. • This idea was originated by the Smiths Potato Crisps Company Ltd formed in 1920. • Frank Smith originally packaged them in greaseproof paper bags which were then sold around London. • To give them some flavor, he would also include a twist of salt. 95

• The potato chip remained otherwise unseasoned until an innovation by Joe "Spud" Murphy (1923 – 2001), the owner of an Irish crisp company called Tayto, who developed a technology to add seasoning during manufacture in the 1950 s. • Though he had a small company, consisting almost entirely of his immediate family who prepared the crisps, the owner had long proved himself an innovator. • After some trial and error, he produced the world's first seasoned crisps, Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar. 96

• The innovation became an overnight sensation in the food industry, with the heads of some of the biggest potato chip companies in the United States heading to the small Tayto company to examine the product and to negotiate the rights to use the new technology. • When eventually the Tayto company was sold, it made the owner and the small family group who had changed the face of potato chip manufacturing very wealthy. • Companies worldwide sought to buy the rights to Tayto's technique. 97

• The Tayto innovation changed the whole nature of the potato chip, and led to the end of Smith's twist of salt (Walkers revived the idea of 'salt in a bag', following their take over of Smith's (UK) in 1979, with their Salt 'n' Shake potato crisps. • Later chip manufacturers added natural and artificial seasonings to potato chips, with varying degrees of success. • A product that had a large appeal to a limited market on the basis of one seasoning now had a degree of market penetration through vast numbers of seasonings. 98

• Various other seasonings of chips are sold in different locales, including the original "Cheese and Onion", produced by Tayto, which remains by far Ireland's biggest manufacturer of crisps. • Perhaps the most extreme version of seasoned chips were the fruit flavored chips that were (very) briefly sold in Canada in the late seventies (in orange, cherry and grape flavors). • These were not a success, and they were rapidly discontinued. 99

Examples of regional varieties • * South Africa has one of the largest varieties of potato chip flavors in the world, including "fruit chutney, " "biltong" (beef jerky), "sausage, " "worcestershire sauce, " and "tomato sauce" (ketchup flavor) among many others. • * In the US, the most popular forms of seasoned potato chips include "sour cream and onion", "barbecue", "ranch", Salt & Vinegar, and cheeseseasoned chips, including "nacho flavor" and "cheddar" (usually with sour cream). • In the Chesapeake Bay area, Utz distributes "crab chips", flavored with an Old Bay analogue seasoning, though Herr's has a similar "Old Bay" variety. 100

• * In Canada, seasonings include dill pickle, ketchup, poutine, salt and vinegar, barbecue, salt and pepper, bacon and even curry. • In Toronto and Vancouver, Lay's offers wasabi chips. • * The market in United Kingdom is dominated by Walkers which is known for its wide variety of crisps. • Typical examples include ready salted, salt & vinegar, cheese & onion, prawn cocktail, worcester sauce, roast chicken, steak & onion, smoky bacon, lamb & mint, ham & mustard, barbecue, BBQ rib, tomato ketchup, sausage & ketchup, pickled onion, Branston 101

• Pickle, Marmite and more exotic seasonings such as Thai sweet chilli, roast pork & creamy mustard sauce, lime and thai spices, lamb with Moroccan spices, sea salt and cracked black pepper, turkey & bacon, caramelized onion & sweet balsamic vinegar, stilton & cranberry and mango chilli. • Kettle Foods Ltd's range of thick-cut crunchy crisps include gourmet flavors: Mexican Limes with a hint of Chilli, Salsa with Mesquite, Buffalo Mozzarella Tomato and Basil, Mature Cheddar with Adnams Broadside Beer, Soulmate Cheeses and Onion, and other previously listed flavors. • Most seasonings contain only vegetarian-friendly ingredients, although some recent seasonings such as lamb & mint sauce contain meat extracts. 102

• In the early 1980 s, there even existed 'Hedgehog flavoured crisps', these were widely on sale and received large publicity. • Mc. Coys Crisps are also popular in the UK. In Northern Ireland Tayto (NI) Ltd. dominate the market. This company is entirely unrelated to the Tayto company in the Republic of Ireland. • Tastees which are exactly the same snack as Twistees in other countries are now sale in the UK. • In the north of England Seabrook Potato Crisps are also popular, but they are much less common in the south. 103

• * In Ireland, the common varieties of crisps are mostly the same or similar to the ones sold in the UK. • However in Ireland, "Tayto" are synonymous with crisps after the Tayto brand. • Walkers crisps were launched there several years ago, but have failed to dominate the market. • Hunky Dorys and King crisps are other popular irish brands. • In Irish, crisps are known as "criospaí" or "brioscáin (phrátaí)". 104

• * Japan also has a vast range of seasonings; they include nori & salt, consommé, wasabi, soy sauce & butter, takoyaki, kimchi, garlic, chili, scallop with butter, ume, mayonnaise, yakitori and ramen. • Major manufacturers are Calbee. • * In Hong Kong, the two prominent potato chips are the spicy "Ethnican" variety by Calbee and barbecue by Jack'n Jill. • Lay's are also popular in Hong Kong. (With the most popular being BBQ and sour cream and onion. ) 105

• * In mainland China, Lay's has introduced potato chips flavored in different Chinese cuisine, world cuisine, and even unexpected flavors such as cucumber. • * On the other hand, in Germany and many continental EU countries the vast majority of chips sold are paprika flavor. • * In Germany, beer flavored chips are available. 106

• * In the Netherlands the market is dominated by Lay's; they offer a large variety of flavors, like: Ø 'naturel' (salted), Ø bolognese (Italian herbs and tomato), Ø barbecued ham, Ø cheese & onion, Ø Mexican herbs, Ø Heinz tomato ketchup, 107

Ø chilli, Ø spareribs, Ø Mediterranean herbs, Ø Thai sweet chili, Ø Oriental spices, Ø pepper & cream, Ø chicken & thyme and Ø spices & lime. 108

• In spite of all the flavors the old fashioned naturel (salted) and paprika crisps are most common and most popular. • * In Norway, most chips are flavored with salt, salt and pepper or paprika. • Major brands include Ki. Ms, Maarud and HOFF. • * In Austria, garlic flavored potato chips are available – and the restaurant Schweizerhaus offers fresh and deep-fryer-hot potato slices. • * In Greece, oregano flavored chips are very popular. 109

• * In Mexico, many flavors feature spiciness. Often, a consistent seasoning is lime mixed with another flavor. • * In New Zealand the most popular varieties of potato chips are Ready Salted, Salt n' Vinegar and Chicken. • * In Colombia, the five main flavors of chips are Natural (Ready Salted), BBQ, Chicken, Mayonnaise and Lemon. 110

• * In Spain, the most popular flavors are plain (fried with olive oil and salted), and ham flavor. • * In the Philippines, local favorites include cheese, barbecue, and sour cream and onion. • In India, there a number of flavored varieties both in locally made and multi-national brands such as Lay's. • Some flavors are Tomato, Pudina (mint), Masala, Coriander, Salt and Pepper, and Red Chili powder. • Most popular chip varieties are potato, tapioca, and plantain (yellow and green, each with its own distinct taste). 111

Similar foods • Another type of potato chip, notably the Pringles and Lay's Stax brands, is made by extruding or pressing a dough made from ground potatoes into the patented potato chip shape before frying. • This makes chips that are very uniform in size and shape, which allows them to be stacked and packaged in rigid tubes. • In America, the official term for Pringles is "crisps", but they are rarely referred to as such. • Conversely Pringles may be termed "potato chips" in Britain, to distinguish them from traditional "crisps". 112

• In the United States, an additional variant of potato chips exists in the form of "potato sticks". These are made as extremely thin (23 mm) versions of the popular french fry but are fried in the manner of regular salted potato chips. • Popular brands of this type include Durkee Potato Stix and French's Potato Sticks, which come in small cannisters or more rarely except via vending machines, in small individual serving bags. 113

• A larger variant (approximately 1 cm thick) is marketed as Andy Capp's Pub Fries, using theme of a long term, British themed American comic strip which are baked and come in a variety of flavors. • Some companies have also marketed baked potato chips as an alternative with lower fat content. 114

• Additionally, some varieties of fat-free chips have been made using artificial, and indigestible, fat substitutes. • These became well-known in the media when an ingredient many contained, Olestra, was linked in some individuals to abdominal discomfort and loose stools. • The success of crisp fried potato chips also gave birth to fried corn chips, with such brands as Fritos, CC's and Doritos dominating the market. • "Swamp chips" are similarly made from a variety of root vegetables such as parsnips, rutabagas and carrots. 115

• Japanese-style variants include extruded chips, like products made from rice or cassava. • In South Indian snack cuisine, there is an item called "vadam" which is a chip made of an extruded rice/sago base. • There has been some development recently where Kettle-style chips are able to be produced by a "continuous-style" process (like a long conveyor belt), creating the same old-fashioned texture and flavor of a real kettle-cooked chip. 116

• There are many other products which might be called "crisps" in Britain, but would not be classed as "potato chips" because they aren't made with potato and/or aren't chipped (for example, Wotsits). • Kettle-style chips are traditionally made by the "batch-style" process, where all chips are fried all at once at a low temperature profile, and continuously raked to prevent them from sticking together. 117

In recipes • In American cuisine, a whole class of recipes exists that use crushed potato chips, often as one would use seasoned bread crumbs. • Recipes include those for cookies, pies, breadings for meatloaves and hamburgers, crumb toppings for casseroles and soups, and in sauces or dips, among others. • Dipping chips in a sour cream based dip is popular. • Putting hot sauce on top of potato chips is popular in Mexico and parts of Texas. • Putting potato chips inside of a hoagie is a popular tradition in Philadelphia. 118

• In the American South, crushed potato chips are sometimes used to bread chicken before frying. • A cheap recipe is the chip sandwich made from a base of two slices of white sandwich bread generously spread with spreadings such as butter, mayonnaise or ketchup. • Potato chips are heaped on one of the slices, then the second slice is placed on top and pushed down hard until all the potato chips are crushed (this is a quick snack version of the traditional "chip butty", made with sliced, buttered bread and freshly made French fries). 119

• "Crisp sandwiches" are also popular in the UK and Ireland, usually made with white bread and butter or margarine. • Potato chips are also a popular addition to sandwiches with more common fillings, for example salt and vinegar complements well a tuna salad sandwich, while cheese and onion goes well with cheddar. • In New Zealand, potato chips are added to bread with thinly spread Marmite to make a "Marmite and Chip Sandwich". • The Australian version of the sandwich uses Vegemite instead of Marmite. 120

• Not strictly a recipe, but another method of preparing crisps is to keep the crisps in the refrigerator, prior to serving. • Commonly called ‘cold crisps’, they have a mixed level of acceptance, with some finding them abhorrent, and others seeing ‘cold crisps’ as the correct method of preparation. • A common fault in vending machines often results in ‘cold crisps’ being issued, even if crisps at room temperature were desired. • References • * [http: //www. taquitos. net Taquitos. net (more than 900 reviews of potato chips)] • *[http: //www. potatopro. com/Lists/News/Chips%20 and%20 Snacks. aspx News on Chips and Potato Processing 121

Potato Storage: Proper storage techniques can reduce disease pressure • United States, September 29, 2010 • Storage conditions can be ripe for diseases to develop and devastate potato crops, leading many universities to seek ways to control or prevent diseases before they become a problem. • At the University of Maine (UM) a fungicide testing program looks at new chemicals and their potential for preventing potato diseases, as well as new uses for current chemicals. • "There are no postharvest diseases, so the problem begins in the field or delivery into storage, " said Steve Johnson, a potato specialist with the UM Cooperative Extension, Presque Isle. 122

• "As you store potatoes longer, it certainly does get to be a problem. Whether it's fresh cut or processed, any amount (of disease) you can lower is a good thing, " Johnson said. • Multiple diseases such as late blight, pink rot, leak, black dot and silver scurf impact Maine's potato fields. • Johnson is the leader of the UM testing program, looking at the effectiveness of new products and new uses for current chemicals. • Two are scheduled for fall testing, but Johnson was hesitant to name them because they currently aren't labeled for potatoes. 123

• Those potential potato fungicides may soon receive labeling if they show success in battling disease. • Agraquest's Serenade and Syngenta's Mertect are two fungicides labeled for potatoes Johnson has studied, each showing positive reductions in silver scurf, but so far, Johnson has yet to see similar effects on black dot. • Even with the success of many fungicides, Johnson is seeking alternatives that can provide adequate disease reduction while limiting environmental impacts. . 124

• Phosphorous acid is one such alternative that is already seeing use in Maine. • Through phosphorous acid field trials, Johnson has seen reductions in late blight, pink rot and leak. • Compounds with similar structures to bleach have shown mixed results. Read more: http: //www. potatopro. com/Lists/News/Disp. Form. asp x? ID=4264&Source=http%3 A%2 F%2 Fwww%2 Epot atopro%2 Ecom%2 FLists%2 FNews%2 FPotato%2520 Storage%2 Easpx#ixzz 15 x 4 Q 5 b. N 3 125