Potato quality VI. Relation of temperature and other factors to blackening of boiled potatoes

Quality of potatoes in relation to soil and season; III. Time of lifting and the colour of the cooked potato

“…Some samples of potato, therefore, were not affected by the fall in temperature, and if temperature is assumed to be the prime cause of blackening it Alternatively, it may be assumed that low temperatures lead to blackening only if certain other conditions are fulfilled and this seems the easier explanation. This is at variance with the conclusions of Smith et al (1942) but these authors appear to have argued from the average values of blackening of many samples.…”

“…In seeking an explanation of these results, the first alternative to consider is that low temperature during maturation of the tubers leads to blackening (Smith et al (1942)). The evidence for such a view may be summarized as follows:…”

“…(a) Smith et al (1942) have shown a correlation between average temperature during the maturation of the tuber and average development of stem-end blackening. They further showed that potatoes grown during the winter in Florida blackened worse when harvested young and at a low temperature than when harvested old and at.a high temperature, i.e.…”

“…An account of the agricultural conditions which influence the development of stem-end blackening in cooked potatoes has recently been given (Wager, 1946). The evidence given by Smith, Nash & Dittman (1942) shows that the average air temperature for the three weeks preceding the lifting of the tubers, or the death of the tops, controls the development of stem-end blackening in the tubers and the authors claim that this is an overriding factor. In their experiments, extending over several years, little or no blackening developed when the average air temperature was between 70 and 80° F., when between 60 and 70° F. there was a medium development of blackening and when between 50 and 60° F. there was much blackening.…”

The Effectiveness of Antibrowning Dip Treatments to Reduce After‐Cooking Darkening in Potatoes

“…The influence of pH on ACD has been researched and acidic solutions (pH 4.5) have been found to reduce ACD in boiled potatoes while more alkaline solutions (pH 9.6) increase blackening (Smith and others 1942). Nutting and Pfund (1942) also noted that boiling potatoes in acidic solutions (vinegar, citric acid, and lemon juice) in the 4.1 to 4.9 pH range also decreased ACD and darkening remained intact or slightly increased in the 8.4 to 10.0 pH range.…”