Lixian Potatoes

Lixian Potatoes

　　Potatoes can be cooked and eaten as a staple food or vegetable. However, fresh potato tubers are bulky, have high water content, and are difficult to transport and store for long periods. For this reason, countries around the world pay great attention to producing processed potato products, such as French-style frozen fries, chips, instant potato flour, starch, and a wide variety of pastries and wafers—amounting to over 100 types. The fresh stems and leaves of potatoes can be preserved as silage for animal feed, but they contain solanine, which must be prevented from causing livestock poisoning. In some regions of China, potato stems and leaves are used as green manure, with a fertilizer effect similar to that of purple clover.

　　Potatoes are relatively high in lysine and easily absorbed and utilized by the human body. Their fat content is about one-thousandth. They contain one to two times more minerals than general cereal crops, especially phosphorus. Among organic acids, citric acid is the most abundant, followed by malic acid, then oxalic acid, lactic acid, and others. Potatoes are an extremely rich source of vitamins, particularly vitamin C, with fresh tubers containing 20 to 40 milligrams per 100 grams. An adult can meet their daily vitamin C needs by eating just half a kilogram of fresh potatoes. As a versatile crop used for food, feed, and vegetables, potatoes offer a complete range of nutrients. In Europe, they are known as the "second bread" crop. Due to their high nutritional value, potato-based foods have become a popular consumption trend.