EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The science behind your favorite bag of potato chips is more complex than you might imagine.
For decades, scientists have worked to create potato varieties specifically designed for chip manufacturing that can thrive in various weather conditions, resist plant diseases and harmful insects, remain fresh during extended storage periods, and provide that perfect crispy texture consumers crave. These researchers have also tracked changing consumer preferences, noting that the popularity of smaller snack packages has created demand for appropriately sized chipping potatoes.
“The potato industry is dynamic,” said David Douches, a Michigan State University professor who leads the school’s Potato Breeding and Genetics Program. “The needs change, the costs, the pressures that they have, and the markets change. So we have to adapt to that with our varieties.”
Over the past 15 years, Douches has created five new potato varieties specifically for chip production. His most recent innovation involves a genetically modified potato that maintains appropriate sugar levels during cold storage, helping prevent deterioration. He’s currently cultivating seeds for commercial evaluation of this variety, which hasn’t reached the marketplace yet.
While Douches’ research contributes to addressing global food security by creating disease-resistant varieties for farmers in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Bangladesh, his work also benefits American chip manufacturers, satisfied consumers, and Michigan’s $2.5 billion potato sector. Although Idaho ranks first nationally in overall potato production, Michigan leads in growing potatoes specifically for chip manufacturing.
Currently, approximately 50 distinct potato varieties are cultivated for chip production across the United States, according to the National Chip Program, a collaboration involving Michigan State and 11 other university breeding initiatives working alongside growers, chip manufacturers, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Continuous improvement efforts for these varieties never cease. The National Chip Program examines roughly 225 new potato varieties annually and chooses 100 for additional testing, explained Tim Rendall, production research director at Potatoes USA, the trade organization that manages the chip program.
This tight collaboration between scientists, agricultural producers and chip companies represents an uncommon approach in the food sector, noted Phil Gusmano, purchasing vice president at Better Made Snack Foods, a Detroit-based chip manufacturer operating since 1930. Better Made collaborated extensively with Douches during development of two varieties the company currently uses, Gusmano explained.
“We were able talk about size profile and different needs that make a really good chip,” Gusmano said. “And the great thing is, they’re willing to listen to what we have to say, because if they put together a potato that doesn’t really meet the needs for the end processor, it doesn’t do them any good.”
Creating a new potato variety can require up to 15 years, Douches explained. Despite appearing simple, potatoes possess remarkably complex genetic makeup, containing four chromosomes per cell versus the typical two found in most species, including humans. This complexity makes it challenging to predict which characteristics crossbred plants will develop, he noted.
“We’re never able to fix a trait and carry that over to the next generation, so it’s very difficult to find a potato that has all the traits that we want,” Douches said.
Douches developed his passion for potato breeding and genetics during graduate studies. At Michigan State, he concentrates on chipping potatoes since Michigan leads in this area. Approximately 70% of the state’s potato harvest goes to chip processing, according to the Michigan Ag Council. The organization estimates that Michigan potatoes appear in one out of every four potato chip bags manufactured in the United States.
Creating potatoes capable of remaining viable in storage for nearly 12 months has presented one of the greatest challenges during Douches’ four-decade career. Traditionally, farmers harvested potatoes and stored them in large piles maintained at approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). Lower temperatures cause sugar content to increase in these root vegetables, and elevated sugar levels result in darker-colored chips. However, warmer storage conditions can cause spoilage.
“You think they’re just these inanimate objects, but they actually are respiring and breathing,” Douches said. “When you do that to them, you’ve got, like, a two- to three-day window where they’re happy.”
His Manistee variety, introduced in 2013, can remain safely stored until July at 45 F (7.2 C). His new genetically modified potato can withstand storage at 40 F (4.4 C).
Gusmano said Better Made previously obtained potatoes from sources outside Michigan for six months annually because locally harvested fall potatoes could only remain stored until February. The company now utilizes newer varieties, including Douches’ Mackinaw potato, which stays fresh until July and resists multiple common plant diseases.
“We’re not shipping potatoes from all over the country to be fried here in Michigan,” Gusmano said. “Instead, they’re being shipped from an hour and a half away all year long.”
