Improving canning properties of potatoes

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Potatoes are the largest vegetable crop grown in Ontario (15,1 29 hectares, OMAFRA 2011 census) and those used for canning at Weil's Food Processing Ltd. are graded out (i.e., small potatoes) from processing and table stock use. Presently, potatoes are selected primarily on the basis of specific gravity; however, this does not ensure consistent, final end-product quality, the major defect being sloughing (disintegration/cracking) (Mark Weil, Weil's Food Processing Ltd., personal communication). A definite knowledge gap, therefore, exists regarding the effective selection of cultivars. The proposed study will screen various Ontario-grown cultivars used by Weil's Food Processing Ltd. in order to better understand the relationship among specific gravity, starch composition and canning quality.