Bioscience Evidence 2026, Vol.16, No.4, 329-344 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 332 profiles. Purple-fleshed potatoes are mainly characterized by cyanidin-, delphinidin-, malvidin-, and petunidin-derived pigments, whereas red-fleshed potatoes are dominated by pelargonidin derivatives (Kim et al., 2025). Chlorogenic acid has repeatedly been identified as the predominant phenolic acid in potato tissues and generally accounts for a large proportion of total phenolic acids. Colored-fleshed cultivars usually contain higher levels of phenolic acids than light-fleshed cultivars (Kasnak and Palamutoğlu, 2022). Potato peels also contain abundant caffeic acid and caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, while acylated anthocyanins are commonly found in red and purple varieties (Sampaio et al., 2021b). Carotenoids are present in all potato varieties, but their contents differ greatly among flesh colors. White-fleshed varieties generally contain approximately 50-100 μg/100 g fresh weight of carotenoids, whereas deep yellow or orange-fleshed varieties can reach approximately 2000 μg/100 g fresh weight. Lutein, zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin are the major carotenoid components (Brown, 2005). Yellow flesh is closely associated with lutein accumulation, whereas purple materials generally contain higher levels of total phenolics and anthocyanins. Even within the same purple- or red-fleshed groups, anthocyanin contents can vary several-fold among cultivars. Anthocyanin concentrations in colored potatoes have been reported to range from 61.5 to 573.5 mg/kg fresh weight, with significant differences among cultivars such as Violette, Vitelotte, Blue Congo, Purple Majesty, and W8 (Hamouz et al., 2011; Soare et al., 2020). 2.4 Differences in antioxidant capacity and overall quality Antioxidant capacity in colored potatoes is commonly evaluated using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and related assays. Purple- and red-fleshed potatoes generally exhibit higher antioxidant activity than yellow- and white-fleshed potatoes. The antioxidant activity of red-fleshed potatoes was reported to be 4.34 times higher than that of whiteor yellow-fleshed types, while purple-fleshed potatoes showed a 5.03-fold increase (Hamouz et al., 2011). Blue Congo showed the highest DPPH and ABTS values, whereas Purple Majesty exhibited the highest total phenolic and anthocyanin contents, indicating that cultivar rankings may vary depending on the evaluation method and target compounds (Soare et al., 2020). FRAP analysis also demonstrated that colored-flesh cultivars generally possessed stronger antioxidant capacity than light-fleshed cultivars, with Vitelotte showing particularly high FRAP values (Cebulak et al., 2022). Antioxidant activity is closely associated with anthocyanins and phenolic compounds, including chlorogenic acid and other phenolic acids. Flavonoids and phenolic acids are considered major contributors to antioxidant activity in red- and purple-fleshed potatoes, while vitamin C and carotenoids also contribute to total antioxidant capacity, particularly in non-purple materials (Xu et al., 2025). 3 Varietal Differences and Selection for Production 3.1 Differences among purple-, red-, and yellow-fleshed varieties Purple-fleshed potato varieties generally exhibit the highest anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity, and they often contain relatively high levels of total phenolics, particularly chlorogenic acid derivatives. Red-fleshed or red-skinned varieties also contain higher levels of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds than white- or yellow-fleshed potatoes; however, their anthocyanin contents are usually lower than those of deep purple varieties. Due to genotypic differences, the antioxidant capacity of some red-fleshed varieties may overlap with that of non-pigmented cultivars (Ceci et al., 2022) (Figure 2). Yellow-fleshed potatoes generally contain lower levels of anthocyanins but have higher nutritional value associated with carotenoids, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin. In some comparisons, yellow-fleshed materials also showed higher soluble solids and vitamin C contents than other colored-flesh materials (Rachappanavar et al., 2024). Agronomic performance does not always correspond to pigment intensity. Colored varieties produced lower yields than the non-pigmented cultivar Musica in one comparison, although colored materials exhibited higher dry matter content. Some colored germplasms are late-maturing types and are therefore unsuitable for early
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==