Influence of thermal and pressure treatments on inhibition of potato tuber sprouting

The effect of short duration thermal treatments (60 and 65°C for 1 min) and low intensity high pressure treatments (15 and 30 MPa for 10 min) on the sprouting of potato tubers was applied individually and sequentially, as an attempt to achieve higher inhibitory effects. Thermal treatments only slightly reduced sprouting, evaluated by the number of sprouted tubers, number of sprouts per sprouted tuber, sprout elongation rate, and sprout length. The pressure treatments alone resulted in a slightly higher inhibitory effect compared to the thermal treatments alone. However, it was for the combined treatments when the highest inhibitory effect on sprouting was observed, particularly when potatoes were stored under controlled temperature and humidity conditions that promoted faster sprouting. The combined treatments versus the control led to a much lower number of sprouted tubers (50% vs 100%), number of sprouts per sprouted tuber (4 vs 20), sprout elongation rate (1.48 ± 0.24 mm/day vs 38.5 ± 2.80 mm/day), and sprout length (71 mm vs 1542 mm). These inhibitory effects on sprouting can be of interest and potential for industrial application.