Potato Cultivar Differences Associated with Mealiness

Russet Burbank, Norchip, Pontiac, and LaSoda potato cultivars were examined for the parameters mealy and waxy. Russet Burbank was judged dry, hard and particulate, typifying mealiness. Using phase contrast microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, raw mealy cells were determined to be larger and more irregularly shaped than cells from waxy cultivars. Mealy cooked cells were engorged with gelatinized starch, cell walls were more polarized, and cell shapes were better retained after mashing, when compared to waxy cells. NMR-T2 bound water readings from Russet Burbank and Pontiac samples did not differ from each other. Starch granule sizes and shapes varied by cultivar.