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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » Vegetable Crops Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #304112
Title: Vacuolar invertase gene silencing in potato decreasing the frequency of sugar-end defects

Author
item ZHU, XIAOBIAO - University Of Wisconsin
item RICHAEL, CRAIG - Jr Simplot Company
item JIANG, J - University Of Wisconsin
item Bethke, Paul

Submitted to: American Journal of Potato Research
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/25/2014
Publication Date: 4/4/2015
Citation: Zhu, X., Richael, C., Jiang, J., Bethke, P.C. 2015. Vacuolar invertase gene silencing in potato decreasing the frequency of sugar-end defects. American Journal of Potato Research. 92(2):175-214.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Sugar-end defect is a tuber quality disorder and persistent problem for the French fry processing industry that causes unacceptable darkening of one end of French fries. This defect appears when environmental stress during tuber growth increases post-harvest vacuolar acid invertase activity at one end of the tuber. Reducing sugars produced by invertase form dark-colored Maillard reaction products during frying. Acrylamide is another Maillard reaction product formed from reducing sugars and acrylamide consumption has raised health concerns worldwide. Vacuolar invertase gene (VInv) expression was suppressed in cultivars Russet Burbank and Ranger Russet using RNA interference to determine if this approach could control sugar-end defect formation. Tuber bud and stem end VInv mRNA accumulation decreased through 5 months of storage in multiple silencing line of Russet Burbank compared to Russet Burbank controls. Acid invertase activity and reducing sugar content decreased at both ends of tubers. Sugar-end defects and acrylamide in fried potato strips were strongly reduced in multiple transgenic potato lines. Thus vacuolar invertase silencing can minimize a long-standing French fry quality problem while providing consumers with attractive products that reduce health concerns related to dietary acrylamide.