THE DIFFUSION OF SALT INTO POTATOES DURING BOILING AND CONSUMER PREFERENCES FOR VARIOUS FINAL SALT CONCENTRATIONS

This paper describes an investigation of the diffusion of salt into potatoes, which are boiled in salt water, and the perception by and preferences of the consumer for various final salt concentrations. Potatoes were cooked in boiling salted water and tested by untrained taste panels. It was established that:1 Salt only penetrates the outermost layers of the potato during cooking. 2 Despite this fact the cooked potato is perceived as ‘salted’. 3 Mashing the potatoes gives a final internal salt concentration of about 0.05 M. 4 The internal salt concentration preferred by most people is 0.1–0.15 M.