Page:Foods and their adulteration; origin, manufacture, and composition of food products; description of common adulterations, food standards, and national food laws and regulations (IA foodstheiradulte02wile).pdf/326

of a large number of different varieties of potatoes, and finds them to have the following average composition:

Water, 75.00 percent
Starch, 19.87 "
Sugars and dextrin, .77 "
Fat, .08 "
Cellulose, .33 "
Ash, 1.00 "

The following analyses show in detail the composition of potatoes from different localities:

Analysis of Maine potatoes: The Bureau of Chemistry a few years ago made an investigation in connection with the experiment station in Maine of the composition of potatoes grown in that state used for table purposes and for starch making. Some of the best varieties grown in different parts of the state were subjected to analysis, and the following results show them to be of quite uniform composition:

Analyses of Maine Potatoes.^[1]

————————+—————+—————+—————+—————+—————+————-
                | | | | Protein | |
   Variety. | Water. | Starch. | Fiber. | (Nitrogen| Ash. | Specific
                | | | | × 6.25). | | Gravity.
————————+—————+—————+—————+—————+—————+————-
                | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. | Percent. |
Hebron, | 79.72 | 16.94 | 0.90 | 2.12 | 0.76 | 1.0604
  Do | 78.13 | 18.59 | .72 | 2.06 | .78 | 1.0795
White Elephant, | 76.81 | 19.96 | .84 | 2.19 | .99 | 1.0867
       Do | 76.92 | 20.38 | .90 | 2.31 | .87 | 1.0742
       Do | 78.74 | 15.96 | .64 | 2.25 | .92 | 1.0803
       Do | 75.21 | 19.31 | .61 | 2.12 | .83 | 1.1058
       Do | 75.88 | 18.81 | .56 | 2.25 | .96 | 1.0921
       Do | 77.44 | 18.12 | .63 | 2.06 | .88 | 1.0906
       Do | 75.56 | 18.14 | .56 | 1.81 | 1.04 | 1.1129
       Do | 78.13 | 18.62 | .63 | 1.75 | .98 | 1.0881
Delaware, | 76.02 | 19.20 | .61 | 2.06 | 1.01 | 1.0852
  Do | 76.93 | 18.63 | .61 | 2.19 | .94 | 1.0904
  Do | 75.72 | 18.63 | .55 | 2.31 | .95 | 1.0745
  Do | 77.64 | 16.26 | .61 | 2.56 | .91 | 1.1120
Carmen, | 76.87 | 18.03 | .66 | 2.06 | .90 | 1.0967
  Do | 76.57 | 17.07 | .59 | 2.38 | .76 | 1.0804
                +—————+—————+—————+—————+—————+————-
  Average, | 77.02 | 18.29 | .66 | 2.16 | .91 | 1.0881

Analysis of Vermont potatoes: Analyses made in Vermont and published in the report of the Vermont Experiment Station for 1901 show an average content of starch considerably less than that above given, namely:

Water, 79.41 percent
Starch, 14.51 "
Sugars and dextrins, 1.44 "
Cellulose, .36 "
Protein, 2.28 "
Ether extract, .06 "
Ash, 1.26 "
Undetermined, .68 "

1. Maine Agr. Exp. Sta., Bul. 57, p. 147.