journal article·2025-10-13Open access

Ultrasound in Chips Production: Enhancing Tuber Quality via Pre-Planting Seed Treatment

Piotr Pszczółkowski, Barbara Sawicka, Piotr Barbaś

Applied Sciences· Volume 15· Issue 20

Abstract

Modern agriculture is seeking methods that reduce pesticide use while simultaneously providing high-quality raw materials. The aim of this innovative study was to determine how treating potato planting tubers with ultrasound in an aqueous medium (pre-sowing treatment) affects the subsequent quality of the raw material and the final product. A three-year field experiment was conducted using a split-plot design with three replicates, comparing traditional technology with a technology using ultrasonic treatment of seed potatoes. Eight edible potato varieties were studied. Sonication significantly improved the processing quality of the tubers. Tubers from treated seed potatoes had significantly lower reducing sugar content (0.02 to 0.1%, depending on the variety). As a result, chips produced from sonicated tubers exhibited a lighter color, improved overall aesthetics and flavor, and reduced discoloration and moisture staining. The results obtained suggest that ultrasonic treatment of seed potatoes is a highly effective, non-thermal method for increasing the value of raw materials used in food processing. This is a promising, innovative technology with significant application potential, supporting sustainable agriculture by improving the quality of tubers and the finished product (chips) at the source. In the future, it will be necessary to optimize sonication parameters and evaluate the economic potential of this technology.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Polysaccharides Composition and Applications · Agriculture, Soil, Plant Science · Potato Plant Research

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Research Centre for Cultivar Testing, Słupia Wielka 34, 63-022 Słupia Wielka, Poland

Department of Plant Production Technology and Commodity Science, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str., 20-950 Lublin, Poland

Department of Potato Agronomy, Plant Breeding and Acclimatization Institute-National Research Institute, Branch of Jadwisin, Jadwisin, Szaniawskiego 15 Str., 05-140 Serock, Poland

References (60)

Show source-provided references
1. Śliwiński, A. (2001). Ultrasound and Their Applications, WNT.
2. Applications of Power Ultrasound in Food Processing10.1146/annurev-food-030212-182537 ↗
3. Impact of ultrasonication applications on color profile of foods10.1016/j.ultsonch.2022.106109 ↗
4. Ultrasound–mechanisms of action and application in sonodynamic therapy
5. Szala, M., and Kropiwiec, K. (2016). Ultrasonic assisted production of food. Review of Selected Issues in the Field of the Food Industry, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Tygiel.
6. Sawicka, B., Pszczółkowski, P., Kiełtyka-Dadasiewicz, A., Barbaś, P., Ćwinal, M., and Krochmal-Marczak, B. (2021). The Effect of Effective Microorganisms on the Quality of Potato Chips and French Fries. Appl. Sci., 11.10.3390/app11041415 ↗
7. Vaitkevičienė, N., Jariene, E., Kulaitienė, J., and Levickienė, D. (2022). The physicochemical and sensory characteristics of colored-flesh potato chips: Influence of cultivar, slice thickness and frying temperature. Appl. Sci., 12.10.3390/app12031211 ↗
8. Effects of ultrasound treatment on the starch properties and oil absorption of potato chips10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.105347 ↗
9. Herbert, S.L. (2023). The Stanford Emerging. Technology Review 2023. A Report on Ten Key Technologies and Their Policy Implications, Stanford University.
10. Potential of Ultrasound in Food Processing: An Overview10.9734/cjast/2023/v42i324217 ↗
11. Prempeh, N.Y.A., Nunekpeku, X., Murugesan, A., and Li, H. (2025). Ultrasound in the Food Industry: Mechanisms and Applications for Non-Invasive Texture and Quality Analysis. Foods, 14.10.3390/foods14122057 ↗
12. Reconditioning of potato tubers stored at low temperature—The methods reducing total soluble sugar contents in potato tubers
13. Changes in the content of reducing sugars and sucrose in tubers of 11 potato cultivars during long term storage at 5 and 8 °C
14. Dry matter and carbohydrates content in the tubers of very early potato varieties cultivated under coverage
15. Pszczółkowski, P., and Sawicka, B. (2024). Ultrasound Application in Potato Cultivation: Potential for Enhanced Yield and Sustainable Agriculture. Sustainability, 16.10.3390/su16010108 ↗
16. Pszczółkowski, P., Sawicka, B., Skiba, D., and Barbaś, P. (2025). Enhancing Potato Quality in Fries Production Using Ultrasonic Techniques. Sustainability, 17.10.3390/su17030828 ↗
17. Impact of heat and drought stresses on size and quality of the potato yield10.17221/691/2016-PSE ↗
18. Lenartowicz, T. (2013). Potato. Methodology of Economic Value Analysis of Cultivars (WGO), COBORU.
19. Duer, I., Fotyma, M., and Madej, A. (2004). Code of Good Agricultural Practice, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. (In Polish).
20. Adamczewski, K., and Matysiak, K. (2005). Compendium of Growth Stage Identification Keys for Mono- and Dicotyledonous Plants. The Key to Determining the Development Phases of Mono- and Dicotyledonous Plants on the BBCH Scale, IOR.
21. Roztropowicz, S., Czerko, Z., Głuska, A., Goliszewski, W., Gruczek, T., Lis, B., Lutomirska, B., Nowacki, W., Rykaczewska, K., and Sowa-Niedziałkowska, G. (1999). Methodical of Observation, Measurements and Sample Take in Agricultural Experiments with Potato, Plant Breeding Acclimatization Institute, Section. (In Polish).
22. (1999). Standard Voltages IEC (Standard No. Polish Standard PN-IEC 6003). (In Polish).
23. Lenartowicz, T. (2017). Descriptive List of Agricultural Cultivars, COBORU. (In Polish).
24. Mozolewski, W. (2005). Research on Relations between the Quality of Potato Cultivars and the Quality of PC and FF, Monograph Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski. (In Polish).
25. (2014). Sensory Analysis—General Guidelines for the Selection, Training and Monitoring of Selected Assessors and Sensory Evaluation Experts (Standard No. EN ISO 8586: 2014). Available online: https://sklep.pkn.pl/pn-en-iso-8586-2014-03e.html.
26. AOAC (2023). The Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International by George, W. Latimer, AOAC. [22nd ed.].
27. IUSS Working Group WRB (2022). World Reference Base for Soil Resources. International Soil Classification System for Naming Soils and Creating Legends for Soil Maps, International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS). [4th ed.].
28. Nawrocki, S. (1991). Fertilizer Recommendations. Part. I. Limit Numbers for Valuation of Soils in Macro- and Microelements, IUNG. (In Polish).
29. Changes in thermal and precipitation conditions in Poland in 1971–2010
30. Kerłowska-Kułas, M. (1993). Badanie Jakości Produktów Spożywczych, Państwowe Wyd. Ekonomiczne. (In Polish).
31. SAS Institute Inc (2008). SAS/STAT® 9.2 User’s Guide, SAS Institute Inc.
32. Tatarczak, A. (2021). Statistics, WSEI. (In Polish).
33. IBM SPSS (2024). Statistics–SPSS, 30.0, IBM. Operating System Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac OS.
34. Palomino-Rincón, H., Ramos-Pacheco, B.S., Buleje Campos, D., Guzmán Gutiérrez, R.J., Yauris-Navez, E.M., and Alarcón-Quispe, E. (2025). Influence of Ultrasound Frequency as a Preliminary Treatment on the Physicochemical, Structural, and Sensory Properties of Fried Native Potato Chips. Processes, 13.10.3390/pr13082668 ↗
35. Sonication and ultrasound: Impact on plant growth and development10.1007/s11240-014-0429-0 ↗
36. The effect of ultrasound on the physicochemical properties of potato tubers10.24326/as.2020.1.7 ↗
37. The Application of High-Intensity Ultrasound on Wet-Dry Combined Aged Pork Loin Induces Physicochemical and Oxidative Alterations10.5851/kosfa.2024.e26 ↗
38. Guiné, R.P.F., Florença, S.G., Barroca, M.J., and Anjos, O. (2020). The Link between the Consumer and the Innovations in Food Product Development. Foods, 9.10.3390/foods9091317 ↗
39. Ultrasound as a pretreatment to reduce acrylamide formation in fried potatoes10.1016/j.ifset.2018.08.010 ↗
40. Reducing the oil absorption and improving the quality of fried potato chips by ultrasound combined with acid soaking10.1002/jsfa.70061 ↗
41. Emerging trends of integrated-mixed-signal chips in ISSCC 202310.1088/1674-4926/44/5/050204 ↗
42. Predicting the spatial distribution of reducing sugars using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging and chemometrics: A study in multiple potato genotypes10.1016/j.compag.2025.110323 ↗
43. The influence of storage temperature and cultivar on quality changes in potato tubers during long term storage
44. European Commission: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (2023). Health and Food Audits and Analysis Programme 2024, Publications Office of the European Union.
45. Zarzecka, K., Gugała, M., Ginter, A., Mystkowska, I., and Sikorska, A. (2023). The Positive Effects of Mechanical and Chemical Treatments with the Application of Biostimulants in the Cultivation of Solanum tuberosum L.. Agriculture, 13.10.3390/agriculture13010045 ↗
46. Changes in selected quality parameters of potato tubers during storage
47. A methodology for evaluating the formation and human exposure to acrylamide through fried potato chips10.1016/j.lwt.2007.05.022 ↗
48. Gikundi, E.N., Buzera, A., Orina, I., and Sila, D. (2024). Impact of the Temperature Reconditioning of Cold-Stored Potatoes on the Color of Potato Chips and French Fries. Foods, 13.10.3390/foods13050652 ↗
49. Acrylamide in food technology: Understanding, mitigating, and innovating
50. Influence of storage conditions on sugar content and fry color of potato varieties used for processing
51. Evaluation and storage stability of potato chips made from different varieties of potatoes cultivated in Pakistan10.1111/jfpp.15437 ↗
52. The Relationship Between Respiration Rate and Quality Parameters of Russet Potatoes During Long-Term Storage10.1007/s12230-025-09977-7 ↗
53. Mike, G., Baciu, A., and Mike, L. (2024). Studies on the effect of variety on the processing efficiency of potato chips. ISHS Acta Horticulturae 1391: IX South-Eastern European Symposium on Vegetables and Potatoes, ISHS.
54. Quality enhancement of potato chips through acrylamide mitigation and comparison with local potato chips in Bangladesh10.26656/fr.2017.8(6).528 ↗
55. Digital technologies for water use and management in agriculture: Recent applications and future outlook10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109347 ↗
56. Hu, X., Jiang, H., Liu, Z., Gao, M., Liu, G., Tian, S., and Zeng, F. (2025). The Global Potato-Processing Industry: A Review of Production, Products, Quality and Sustainability. Foods, 14.10.3390/foods14101758 ↗
57. Effect of reconditioning on decrease of the content of reducing sugars in tubers of some potato cultivars
58. Increasing CO2 threatens human nutrition10.1038/nature13179 ↗
59. Advancements in potato science: Agronomy, genetics, and biotechnology for sustainable food security
60. Conventional and emerging innovative processing technologies for quality processing of potato and potato-based products: A review10.1016/j.foodcont.2023.109933 ↗