Post‐harvest treatment with pure (+)‐methyl jasmonate minimizes lipid oxidation in boiled potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Linoleic and linolenic acids are health‐promoting compounds having a number of biological properties. In the present study, oxidative degradation of these fatty acids into off‐flavor compounds in boiled potato was intended to be reduced. To that end, raw potatoes were treated by applying: (i) the commercial mixture (±)‐methyl jasmonate, (ii) pure (+)‐methyl jasmonate, and (iii) pure (−)‐methyl jasmonate, respectively. Four cultivars (i.e., Cara, Inca Sun, Mayan Gold, and Maris Piper) were included in the study. As a result, the post‐harvest application of (±)‐methyl jasmonate and (+)‐methyl jasmonate to raw potatoes during storage resulted in a significant decrease of lipid‐derived volatile compounds in boiled potato. This suggests an inhibitory effect of both the commercial enantiomeric mixture and the pure (+)‐methyl jasmonate on the lipoxygenase pathway. Stabilization of linoleic and linolenic acids against autoxidation is achieved by treatment with the enantiomeric mixture and pure (+)‐methyl jasmonate. (−)‐Methyl jasmonate however exhibited the opposite effect since it did not reduce lipid oxidation in boiled potato. The results found in the present work support earlier evidence on different effects of methyl jasmonate enantiomers on plant food composition. From a practical point of view, post‐harvest treatments with (+)‐methyl jasmonate can be used by the potato industry to obtain healthier and more pleasant products. Practical application The results found in the present study demonstrate that the practical applications of methyl jasmonate treatments minimize lipid oxidation in boiled potato. That allows us to obtain, on the one hand, tubers containing higher contents of linolenic and linoleic acids and, on the other, more pleasant flavor after boiling. The exogenous application of (+)‐MJ to raw potato during storage enabled lipid oxidation in boiled potato to be reduced. Therefore, (+)‐MJ treatment might be used by the potato industry to obtain a healthier and more pleasant product.