Editing Potato (section)

=== Storage ===

[[File:Potato transportation to cold storage in India (1).jpg |thumb |Transporting to cold storage in India]]

Storage facilities need to be carefully designed to keep the potatoes alive and slow the natural process of sprouting which involves the breakdown of starch. It is crucial that the storage area be dark, ventilated well, and, for long-term storage, maintained at temperatures near {{convert|4|C|F}}. For short-term storage, temperatures of about {{convert|7|to|10|°C|°F}} are preferred.<ref name="crosstree">Potato storage, value Preservation: {{cite web |last=Kohli |first=Pawanexh |year=2009 |title=Potato storage and value Preservation: The Basics |url=http://crosstree.info/Documents/POTATO_STORAGE.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806192307/http://www.crosstree.info/Documents/POTATO_STORAGE.pdf |archive-date=6 August 2020 |access-date=12 July 2009 |publisher=CrossTree techno-visors}}</ref>

Temperatures below {{convert|4|°C|°F}} convert the starch in potatoes into sugar, which alters their taste and cooking qualities and leads to higher [[acrylamide]] levels in the cooked product, especially in deep-fried dishes. The discovery of acrylamides in starchy foods in 2002 has caused concern, but it is not likely that the acrylamides in food, even if it is somewhat burnt, causes cancer in humans.<ref name="cruk">{{cite web |date=15 October 2021 |title=Can eating burnt foods cause cancer? |url=https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths/can-eating-burnt-foods-cause-cancer |publisher=Cancer Research UK}}</ref>

Chemicals are used to suppress sprouting of tubers during storage. [[Chlorpropham]] is the main chemical used, but it has been banned in the EU over toxicity concerns.<ref name="epp">{{cite news |last=Epp |first=Melanie |date=12 April 2021 |title=The Worry with CIPC |work=EuropeanSeed |url=https://european-seed.com/2021/04/the-worry-with-cipc/ |access-date=12 June 2021}}</ref> Alternatives include [[ethylene]], spearmint and orange oils, and [[1,4-dimethylnaphthalene]].<ref name="epp"/>

Under optimum conditions in commercial warehouses, potatoes can be stored for up to 10–12 months.<ref name="crosstree" /> The commercial storage and retrieval of potatoes involves several phases: first ''drying'' surface moisture; ''wound healing'' at 85% to 95% [[relative humidity]] and temperatures below {{convert |25 |°C |°F}}; a staged ''cooling phase''; a ''holding'' phase; and a ''reconditioning'' phase, during which the tubers are slowly warmed. [[Ventilation (architecture) |Mechanical ventilation]] is used at various points during the process to prevent condensation and the accumulation of carbon dioxide.<ref name="crosstree" />

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; width:12em; text-align:center;"
|+Potato production <br>{{small|2023, millions of tonnes}}
|-
|{{CHN}} ||93.4
|-
|{{IND}} ||60.1
|-
|{{UKR}} ||21.4
|-
|{{USA}} ||20.0
|-
|{{RUS}} ||19.4
|-
|'''World''' ||'''383'''
|-
|colspan=2|{{small|Source: [[FAOSTAT]] of the [[United Nations]]}}<ref name="faostat">{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC|title=Potato production in 2023, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity/Year (pick lists)|date=2025|publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT)|access-date=31 March 2025}}</ref>
|}