October 24/Seattle/Phys.org -- Potatoes with higher levels of beneficial carotenoids are the result of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies to improve one of America's most popular vegetables.
Scientists with USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) bred yellow potatoes with carotenoid levels that are two to three times higher than those of the popular Yukon Gold yellow-fleshed potato variety. ARS plant geneticist Kathy Haynes and nutritionist Beverly Clevidence did the research at the agency's Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Beltsville, Md. Haynes works in the Genetic Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables Research Laboratory (GIFVL) at the Beltsville center, and Clevidence works in the center's Food Components and Health Laboratory. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.