Potato and its products have become indispensable foods and snacks for most people. Steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs) occur in all tissues of the potato, and consuming potatoes with a high SGA content harms human health. Therefore, the effects of different cooking methods on the SGA content in potato foods were investigated in this study. The results indicated that adding food-grade acetic acid during the manufacturing process did not affect the SGA content in stir-fried shredded potatoes or fresh mashed potatoes. However, the SGA content in potato food after peeling was significantly lower than that in non-peeled food, and the volume ratio of potato skin to flesh decreased with the increase of the potato tuber volume. Therefore, potato breeders and farmers should make the most hard to increase the proportion of commodity potato via corresponding science and technology. In addition, frying significantly reduced the SGA content in potato chips. Further research indicated that SGAs degraded slowly at 150°C, while they degraded rapidly at 190°C within 30 min. The temperature of rapeseed oil in the frying process can be as high above 200°C. Thus, frying significantly decreased the SGA content in potato chips, which could be attributed to temperature. These results will provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for potato breeding and cooking.

An ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method has been optimized and validated to simultaneously monitor steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs), α-chaconine and α-solanine, in potato samples stored under natural indoor conditions in Kunming. Two different analytical columns (Hypersil Gold C18 and ZORBAX RRHD HILIC Plus) were assessed. The ZORBAX RRHD HILIC Plus showed better separation for the SGAs. The samples in the present method were directly extracted with 10% acetic acid aqueous solution. The recoveries of SGAs in the potato flesh and skin were in the range of 86.3 to 92.3% and 86.5 to 90.5% with a precision of 2.2 to 4.5% and 3.2 to 5.3%, respectively. The intra- and inter-day validation data for accuracy were in the range of 85.00 to 105.11% with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 1.88 to 8.91% and 98.50 to 100.59% with a CV of 2.11 to 8.22%, respectively. High correlation coefficients (R² = 0.9997 for α-chaconine and R² = 0.9996 for α-solanine) were obtained at 2 to 400 μg L⁻¹ SGAs. The results showed that the validation parameters of the method were in the acceptable range as recommended by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) guidelines. In addition, the SGA contents were significantly higher in the skin than those in the flesh, and significantly increased with time in the skin, but not in the flesh of potato samples.

Potato is susceptible to light exposure and wounding during harvesting and transportation. However, the metabolite profile changes in these potato tubers are unclear. The potato cultivars in this study included Hezuo88 (HZ88), Shida6 (SD6), and Jianchuanhong (JCH); the effects of light exposure (L), wounding (W), and the cooking process on potato metabolites were determined. In total, 973 metabolites were identified, with differential metabolites (mainly alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids) accumulated on days 0 and 2 (0 d and 2 d) in the 0dHZ88 vs. 0dJCH (189), 0dHZ88 vs. 0dSD6 (147), 0dSD6 vs. 0dJCH (91), 0dJCH vs. 2dIJCH (151), 0dJCH vs. 2dWDJCH (250), 0dJCH vs. 2dWLJCH (255), 2dIJCH vs. 2dWDJCH (234), and 2dIJCH vs. 2dWLJCH (292) groups. The flavonoid content in the light exposure group was higher than that in the dark group. The alkaloid content in the wounded group was higher than that in the uninjured potato tuber group, but the lipid content in the wounded group was lower. Importantly, only 5.54% of the metabolites changed after potato tuber steaming. These results provide valuable information for the breeding and consumption of potato tubers.

Mycotoxins are among the primary factors compromising food quality and safety. To investigate mycotoxin contamination, microbial diversity, and functional profiles in maize across distinct geographic regions, this study analyzed samples from Xuanwei, Fuyuan, and Zhanyi. Mycotoxin concentrations were quantified through standardized assays, while microbial community structures were characterized using metagenomics sequencing. Metabolic pathways, functional genes, and enzymatic activities were systematically annotated with the KEGG, eggNOG, and CAZy databases. The results demonstrated an absence of detectable aflatoxin (AF) levels. Deoxynivalenol (DON) concentrations varied significantly among experimental cohorts, although all values remained within regulatory thresholds. Zearalenone (ZEN) contamination exceeded permissible limits by 40%. The metagenomic profiling identified 85 phyla, 1219 classes, 277 orders, 590 families, 1171 genera, and 2130 species of microorganisms, including six mycotoxigenic fungal species. The abundance and diversity of microorganisms were similar among different treatment groups. Among 32,333 annotated KEGG pathways, primary metabolic processes predominated (43.99%), while glycoside hydrolases (GH) and glycosyltransferases (GT) constituted 76.67% of the 40,202 carbohydrate-active enzymes. These empirical findings establish a scientific framework for optimizing agronomic practices, harvest scheduling, and post-harvest management in maize cultivation.

Potato is rich in nutrition, and can be vital in improving and enriching the diets of people. However, potatoes contain a natural secondary metabolite group, steroidal glycoalkaloids (SGAs), which can cause human and animal toxicity at higher levels. In this study, we investigated the inhibition effect of film on SGA concentration in tuber during potato growth via a pot experiment in 2016 and a field experiment in 2017. Tubers were sampled every 15 days from flowering to harvest in the pot experiment, and were sampled after harvest in field experiment. The results showed that SGA concentration decreased gradually with the enlargement and maturation of potato tubers. In contrast to blank and white film treatments, the inhibition effect of black film on SGA concentration in tuber was remarkable, while the tuber yield per plant was similar between treatments. In the field experiment, the tuber SGA concentration mulching black film was significantly lower than that mulching white film and blank treatments, while the tuber yield per plant mulching black film among them was comparable. These results suggest that black film may be applied to the production to inhibit SGA concentration accumulation during growth, which is important for consuming potato tubers safely.