Not all potatoes are suitable for processing. Here we discuss the typical requirements of potatoes used for french fry processing.
First of all - because it is so easy to overlook - we want to stress that not all potatoes are suitable for the production of French fries.
In order to be suitable for the production of (frozen) French Fries, potatoes need to meet specific criteria related to:
- Size: Potatoes need to be large and long oval (oblong)
- Dry Matter Content: Dry matter content of the potatoes needs to be high enough
- Reducing Sugars: Reducing Sugar content needs to be low enough
- Discolouration: Discolouration after cooking (non-enzymatic) as well as enzymatic discolouration should be as ow as possible
- Defects and Diseases: Within acceptable limits, as it causes waste and defects in the product
- Variability: Maybe not the primary quality criterium, but all variability in the potatoes (within tubers, between tubers, year to year) for any of the mentioned aspects makes the potatoes less suitable
In addition, some suppliers (e.g. McDonald's) accept only French Fries made from specific potato varieties.
Factors like variety selection, climate and weather, cultivation and storage practices need to be optimized in order to get the best potatoes for french fries.
