Hydroxycinnamic acid functional ingredients and their biosynthetic genes in tubers of Solanum tuberosum Group Phureja

Potato is an ideal candidate for the delivery of functional ingredients due to its high worldwide consumption. The metabolites in cooked tubers of eight diploid potato genotypes from Colombia were explored. Potato tubers were harvested, cooked，lyophilized, and then stored at −80°C. Metabolites were extracted from flesh samples and analyzed using liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry. A total of 294 metabolites were putatively identified, of which 87 metabolites were associated with health-benefiting roles for humans, such as anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Two metabolites, chlorogenic acid and N-Feruloyltyramine were detected in high abundance and were mapped on to the potato metabolic pathways to predict the related biosynthetic enzymes: hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA quinate transferase (HQT) and tyramine hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (THT), respectively. The coding genes of these enzymes identified nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) in AC09, AC64, and Russet Burbank, with the highest enzyme stability found in AC09. This is consistent with the highest presence of hydroxycinnamic acids in the AC09 genotype. The metabolites detected at high fold change, their functional ingredient properties, and their enhancement through breeding to improve health of the indigenous communities’ of Colombia are discussed.