Taters on Trial: What Makes the Perfect Chipping Potato?

Did you know that behind every delicious, crunchy, perfectly sized potato chip are years of research, development, experimentation and analysis by some of the brightest minds in the industry? 

Every year, Potatoes USA partners with commercial potato growers, breeders and chip processors to put new potato candidates through trials to find the most perfect spud for chips. This year’s trials, which take place in Chicago this month, will invite nearly 100 industry professionals to review and discuss hundreds of new candidates.

John Lundeen, Research Director at Potatoes USA:

"What I’m hoping for in Chicago is dialogue and collective wisdom. This is the process of the industry coming together to improve supply and quality. We stare at data, listen to people, and discuss what the industry is doing to be ready and adapt to new challenges like more problematic diseases and changing consumer needs."

For example, if potatoes are planted in northern states like Michigan or Wisconsin, they must be able to store well after the November harvest. If they’re planted in hot southeastern states like Florida where they can be harvested from January through August, they need to have a thick canopy of leaves that can resist the heat and humidity.

They must also have high "specific gravity," which translates to a potato that produces a profitable, attractive chip for the processor. And, of course, they must produce enough yield to be profitable for the farmers who grow them. 

This year’s chipping potato candidates will go through several rounds of trials to determine how they grow. Those that show promise will keep going through additional rounds of trials each year. In some cases, the trials may find flaws in the potatoes that farmers can fix in the fields with modified spacing or different watering or fertilization regimens. 

The trials continue until the potatoes are either eliminated or successfully grown in a commercial environment, processed and made into chips with consistent quality and appearance. They then "graduate" from the trials and are ready to be evaluated in a real-world commercial environment.

John Lundeen:

"Just like there’s only a tiny percentage of athletes who will compete in soccer at the highest level, there are only a few potato varieties that will meet all the specifications to have the best of best, quality of potato chips."