Lipids of potato tubers. 1. Lipid and fatty acid composition of tubers from different varieties of potato

Tubers from 23 varieties of potato were obtained at harvest and analysed for total lipid content, lipid composition and distribution of component fatty acids. The total lipid content was similar for all varieties (approx. 0.1% of the fresh weight) and no significant differences were observed between varieties in the individual lipid components. The polyunsaturated fatty acids, i.e. linoleic and linolenic acids, represented 51 to 60 and 13 to 24%, respectively, of the total fatty acids. An inverse relationship between linoleic acid and linolenic acid was observed resulting in a very similar proportion of the combined polyunsaturated fatty acids for all varieties (70 to 76% of total fatty acids). The results are discussed in relation to the role of lipids in the potato tuber.