Sugar, Amino Acid and Fatty Acid Composition in Potato Tubers Grown in Highland Area of Gangwon Province

The composition of free sugar, free amino acid, and fatty acid in tubers of the cultivars 'Superior', 'Sinnamjak', and 'Chubaek' were evaluated at the two sites with different altitude, Gangneung (20 m altitude) as lowland and Daekwallyeong (760 m altitude) as highland. The average reducing sugar content of the three potato cultivars harvested in Daekwallyeong and Gangneung was 1.1% and 2.3%, respectively, which showed two-fold difference between the two locations. Average total sugar content was also two-folds lower in potatoes harvested in Daekwallyeong (6.3%) than those harvested in Gangneung (12.2%). Average content of free amino acids of the three potato cultivars harvested in Daekwallyeong and Gangneung was 1,325 mg/100g and 1,051 mg/100g, respectively. The cultivar 'Chubaek' has the highest amino acid content among the three tested cultivars. Potatoes from Daekwallyeong have higher unsaturated fatty acid levels than those from Gangneung. During the tuber development, unsaturated fatty acids levels increased in tubers grown in Daekwallyeong, but decreased in those grown in Gangneung. These results indicate that the quality of potatoes from Daekwallyeong is from Gangneung for food processing purpose for human consumption.