Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association
Interview with Dr. Paul Bethke in 2008
An on-going problem in the potato industry on a nationwide level is chip and fry color deterioration during cold weather months in storage. Wisconsin is in a fortunate position in regard to this issue because of the outstanding storage research facility available at the UWHancock Research Station.
The WPVGA Chip Committee and the UW storage research staff want to develop useful methodology to improve fry color during storage for commercial
growers and processors. To this end, the Chip Committee developed a “Chip
Product Improvement Proposal,” which received $25,000 of WPIB-funding for
fiscal year 2008-09. The project will involve ethylene and carbon dioxide gas
monitoring during storage, and will study how different air flushes correlate
to fry color. The project will involve the installation and maintenance of sensors,
along with calibration and validation by gas chromatography.
An on-going problem in the potato industry on a nationwide level is chip and fry color deterioration during cold weather months in storage. Wisconsin is in a fortunate position in regard to this issue because of the outstanding storage research facility available at the UWHancock Research Station.