Potatoes are ready to become super food thanks to the increase in the magnesium value. To produce these tubers was the company Gli Orti del Mediterraneo of Caivano (Naples).
“The increasing attention to healthy foods has pushed the consumer towards the choice of foods with high energy value and low environmental impact in terms of sustainability during the production process – Nicola Laezza , company technician explains to Italiafruit News – from these assumptions we have realized our magnesium potatoes “.
“Among the benefits of this element – he continues – is to support the correct muscular and nerve function, strengthen the tooth enamel and cooperate in the maintenance of bone tissue. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include impaired metabolism of calcium, sodium, potassium and failure to absorb vitamin D, manifested by muscle weakness and impaired heart function. The recommended daily intake levels for adults are 240 mg (males or females 18-59 years) ”.
Selection of materials and cultivation technique
The tests to obtain the magnesium potatoes were conducted this year by the company through the management and planning of cultivation practices intended as processing, fertilization and irrigation. “The tubers were grown in a tunnel system with drip irrigation system – specifies the company technician – and the variety chosen was the Colomba , a yellow-fleshed potato with an early ripening, mainly intended for fresh consumption”.
Experimentation
During the tests, particular attention was paid to the management of fertilizations : “In each precise phenological phase of the plants, we added nutritional elements based on magnesium, which is the central element for the photosynthetic process of all plants”, Laezza emphasizes.And he adds: “In particular, magnesium has been administered to the plant in the form of natural fertilizers with low environmental impact, in order to ensure maximum absorption and assimilation within the tubers”.
The tubers were analyzed at each nutritional step and the results obtained “show a high accumulation of magnesium in the final tuber for consumption , an increase that has increased especially during the maturation phase of the tubers – again the company technician – If the table value of national reference for potatoes appears to be about 23 mg per 100 grams of potatoes for magnesium (source USDA), in our case we have reached levels more than double the average for consumption potatoes “.
“A potato rich in magnesium – concludes Nicola Laezza – could be the winning choice for the consumer who, through a simple natural meal, can make up for the lack of such an indispensable element in the diet and avoid running into the use of synthetic food supplements. “.
The development of magnesium potatoes was carried out in collaboration with Dr. Monica Gallo of the Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology of the Federico II University of Naples.
Alice Magnani
Contributor
