The effect of cooking methods on the lipid composition of potatoes

The effect of boiling and baking in either a convential or microwave oven on the lipid content of potatoes was investigated. The crude lipid content of potatoes was lowered significantly by all methods of cooking. The loss was highest in potatoes cooked in a microwave oven, least in boiled tubers, and intermediate in tubers baked in a conventional oven. Similar trends were observed for both cortex and pith tissues. Generally, the phospholipid content followed the same trend as the crude lipid, the exception being the cortex tissue of tubers baked in the conventional oven, in which the greatest loss of phospholipid occurred. Cooking did not significantly alter the fatty acid composition of tubers. A possible relationship between the degree of cell rupturing, known to be influenced by different mechanisms of heat transfer, and the amounts of tuber lipid associated with different cooking methods was discussed.