Argentina: INTA develops a new potato variety for chip production and storage

The National Institute of Agricultural Technology ( INTA ) has developed a new potato variety called  Piru INTA , which promises to transform the snack food industry. Developed through  gene editing , this innovation allows tubers to be stored at low temperatures—around 4°C—for up to  120 days without losing quality , thus improving production efficiency and food safety.

The project, driven by a team from  INTA Balcarce (Buenos Aires) , seeks to solve one of the main challenges of the sector:  cold-induced sweetening , a phenomenon that generates dark compounds and bitterness in potatoes intended for frying, in addition to the formation of  acrylamide , a neurotoxic component.

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"The potato is a clonal crop, which restricts conventional genetic improvements. Therefore,  gene editing represents a technological opportunity  to generate new varieties with better post-harvest quality," explained  Gabriela Massa , a researcher at INTA Balcarce.

Trials demonstrated that  Piru INTA improves the industrial quality  of tubers intended for frying by reducing the formation of dark compounds and acrylamide generation. This benefits the  processing industry ,  producers, and consumers alike .

"This development has a major impact on human health, since these potatoes are nutritionally superior because they do not contain acrylamide. The benefits extend to the entire production system, the potato chip industry, and consumers," highlighted  Sergio Feingold , also a researcher at INTA Balcarce.

The work was based on the  Atlantic variety , one of the most widely used in the potato chip industry. The technique employed,  CRISPR , allows for precise modifications to specific genes without incorporating foreign DNA; therefore,  Piru INTA is not a transgenic variety . In this case, scientists were able to  inactivate the vacuolar invertase gene , thus reducing the accumulation of reducing sugars during cold storage.

"When we open a package of potato chips and see a brownish color, that’s due to cold sweetening. At Piru INTA, that problem is avoided," Massa explained.

The innovation is in the process of  being registered in the National Register of Cultivars  and could mark a turning point in the agro-industrial chain, by guaranteeing the  availability of raw materials throughout the year  and improving the  quality and safety  of one of the most popular foods in the world.