Effect of pre-treatment and storage on moisture content and total plate count of potato powder prepared from different potato varieties

For the preparation of potato powder, potatoes of three varieties (Kufri Chipsona-2, Kufri Chipsona-1 and Kufri Bahar) were washed with fresh water to remove the adhering soil particles and peeled manually with the help of stainless steel peeler. Peeled potatoes were cut into 2 mm thick slices using hand-operated stainless steel slicer. The slices were pre-treated with 2 ppm solution of potassium metabisulphite (KMS) by dipping for 15 minutes. These were also pre-treated with hot water blanching at 80-85°C temperature for 3 minutes. Slices were dried in a tray drier at 50, 60, 70 and 80°C. After drying, samples were cooled at room temperature and ground to make potato powder for further study. The moisture content of flour prepared from KMS-treated slices was found to be little higher as compared to the flour of hot water-blanched slices. The moisture content of flour increased significantly during storage, irrespective of pre-treatment and potato cultivars. The total plate count (TPC) of the flour prepared from KMS-treated slices was found to be lower than those of the hot water-blanched and control slices.