Assessment of phytochemical diversity in Indian potato cultivars

The experiment was conducted to analyse ascorbic acid, anthocyanins and total carotenoids content from tubers of 41 Indian potato cultivars. Significant variations were observed among the cultivars for all the analyzed traits. Ascorbic acid ranged from the minimum of 17.65 (Kufri Neela) to the maximum of 47.80 mg/100 g fresh weight (fw) in Kufri Gaurav. The anthocyanin content ranged from a minimum of 0.478 to a maximum of 1.434 μg/g fw in cvs Kufri Khyati and Kufri Kumar, respectively. Total carotenoids content varied from 27.92 to 272.54 μg/100 g fw with the minimum and maximum values exhibited by cultivars Kufri Bahar and Kufri Himsona and Kufri Jeevan respectively. Anthocyanin content was positively correlated (r = 0.020) with the total carotenoids. There was no significant difference in the phytonutrient composition of table and processing cultivars group. The study depicts narrow variability of phytonutrient level in the existing Indian potato.