(P03-085-23) Unleashing the Health Benefits of Coloured Potatoes

Objectives: To disentangle the interactions between anthocyanins and other bioactive compounds in the food matrix, I have used heirloom-coloured potato varieties as they have red and purple skin and flesh, and included white potatoes as control.

Methods: I used high liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) to capture the anthocyanins. I also conducted the starch digestibility assay to check the starch difference in resistance to alpha pancreatic enzymatic activity. In addition, I used ex vivo colon model micromatrix, this will help me to better understand whether anthocyanins can impact the diversity of the microbiota and whether different anthocyanins will have the same or different effects.

Results: Nutritional profiling indicated little variation between those tubers. However, they differ distinctly in their anthocyanins, pelargonidin is predominant in the red variety whereas petunidin is a major anthocyanin in the purple variety. No anthocyanins were detected in white varieties. PAHBAH assays show that anthocyanins in coloured-flesh potatoes can increase the resistance to starch digestibility. Metagenomic analyses are still ongoing.

Conclusions: My study will shed a light on the functionality of anthocyanins and their mechanisms of function impacting our health. Perhaps anthocyanins could establish coloured potatoes as healthier varieties.

Funding Sources: Wellcome Trust PhD programme funds