Application of Digital Image Analysis for Assessment of Starch Content and Distribution in Potatoes

This study presents the possibility of using digital image analysis for the assessment of the starch content and distribution in potatoes. Tubers of six cultivars that were stored for 3 months in contrasting conditions (4 degrees C vs. -15 degrees C) were used in the experiment. The starch distribution in the potato tubers was assessed on the basis of histograms of the pixel values along four lines in the tuber cross-sections. Next, the basic statistics were calculated and used for the analysis of variance. The applied method allowed more precise distinguishing between the studied potato cultivars than comparing the total starch content alone. The new method also clearly distinguished potatoes stored in a freezer from those kept in a cold store.