BULLETIN 277 

 POTATO STUDIES 



Chas. D. Woods 

 THE FOOD VALUE OF MAINE GROWN POTATOES 



Analyses of Maine Grown Compared with Other 

 Potatoes 



Like all vegetables potatoes are high in water content. The 

 water in foods is no more valuable for nutrition, so far as is 

 known, than other water. Hence the dry matter is the best 

 comparative measure of food materials that are at all similar 

 in composition. Samples of Maine potatoes analyzed at dif- 

 ferent times by the Maine Station are compared with Ameri- 

 can analyses of potatoes compiled by the Office of Experiment 

 Stations at Washington in the table that follows. 



Table Showing the Analyses of Maine Grown Potatoes Com- 

 pared with all American Analyses, on Water Content of 

 Fresh Edible Tubers 





Water 



Dry 

 matter 



Ash 



Protein 



1 Carbohydrates 

 and fat* 





% 



% 



% 



% 



% 



Maine grown 



76.7 



23.3 



0.9 



2.2 



20.2 



All American analyses 



78.3 



21.7 



1.0 



2.2 



18.5 



*The ether extract or "fat" in potatoes is about .1 per cent. The fiber in Maine 

 analyses is .6 per cent and in all American A per cent. 



The Maine grown potatoes apparently carry rather more 

 than i J / 2 pounds per hundredweight more dry matter than all 

 of American potatoes. There is little difference in ash, protein 

 and fat content and this extra weight of dry matter is due to 

 higher percentages of the carbohydrates or starchy materials. 

 While most of the carbohydrates are starch, they are not all. 

 The examination of Maine grown potatoes made by this Sta- 

 tion show the starch to range from 16 to 21 per cent. As the 

 per cent of starch in potato tubers depends upon their matur- 

 ity anything that will prolong their growth is likely to increase 



