CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF EIGHT CULTIVARS OF POTATOES. APPLICATION OF MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS

Moisture, protein, starch, amylose, ash, ascorbic acid and fibre contents were determined in potato samples harvested in Tenerife belonging to eight cultivars and three species/subspecies: Solanum x chaucha, Solanum tuberosum spp. tuberosum and spp. andigena. There were several significant differences among the means of various chemical compounds according to cultivar, species or subspecies, local and recently imported potatoes. Mean values of moisture contents were often significantly different concerning the three species/subspecies considered. Local potatoes presented lower moisture and higher content of chemical compounds than the recently imported potatoes. After Varimax rotation, the first component was related to starch, and in a lesser extent to moisture (negatively), the second and the third components were associated to ash. Applying discriminant analysis on potato samples belonging to the spp. tuberosum and spp. andigena, adequate separation according to the cultivars was obtained.