Influence of cultivar and prewarming on texture retention of thermally processed potatoes

Summary Potato cubes (2.5 cm) of six cultivars were soaked in CaCl₂ solution (0.004% calcium) at 4°C for 21 h, prewarmed at 75°C for 30 min, and boiled (20 min) or microwaved (2 min, 15 sec). Prewarming treatment significantly retained fracturability (g force at first break point) of boiled samples over non-treated controls. Thirty min prewarming at 75°C gave maximum fracturability retention for boiled samples; prewarming time had no effect on texture of microwaved samples. Cultivar differences in fracturability correlated with inherent tuber calcium content.