Scholarly record

ANTIOXIDANTS “HIDDEN” IN SEVERAL ROMANIAN POTATO VARIETIES AND THEIR BENEFITS ON HUMAN HEALTH

C. L. BADARAU, A. E. BOERIU, C. M. CANJA, M. I. LUPU, V. PADUREANU

Abstract

Considered a common product, cheap food, poor peopleВ’s food and the plant of poor areas, the potato is actually a product that helps improving the daily diet being rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. For Romania, the potato is a strategic food, contributing to the national food safety system. Our country is ranked on the third position in Europe in terms of area cultivated with potatoes (after Poland and Germany). In particular, potato components have been shown to have favorable impacts on several measures of cardio-metabolic health, including lowering blood pressure, improving lipid profiles and decreasing markers of inflammation. Potato tubers with higher levels of naturally developed antioxidants, could have a positive impact on the human health. Some of the reasons that led to the choice of this subject were: the special bioavailability of this plant, economic considerations (lower price compared to other sources of polyphenols), relatively high content of anthocyanin and the presence of valuable polyphenols. Potato consumption has a great importance in populationВ’s food and this study offer preliminary information to researchers and producers on the level of some phytochemicals such carotenoids and polyphenols, antioxidants with functional properties. So, potatoes contribute to the daily intake of antioxidants and their consumption thereby may have positive effects on the human health.

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