A potato has been developed in the North that may fight cancer because it's purple

Would you eat them?

A potato has been developed in the North that may fight cancer because it's purple

By Chris McCullough

Researchers in the North have developed a purple potato in the hope that it will have anti-cancer properties.

The spud, known as Purple Magic, was developed by the AFBI (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute) in Loughgall, Co Armagh, in response to research into the beneficial effects of Anthocyanins (the coloured pigments) which are a class of compounds with antioxidant.

Paul Watts, potato breeder with AFBI, with a selection of the Purple Magic potatoes.
Paul Watts, potato breeder with AFBI, with a selection of the Purple Magic potatoes.

The link is still contentious but the general health benefits of eating highly coloured fruit and vegetables are already established to some extent.

They are part of a breeding programme hoping to develop potatoes with enhanced disease resistance, processing quality and, in this case, coloured flesh.

Around 1,000 tonnes of the unusually coloured spuds are going to be produced in Canada and the US, where they use them for crisps, and they are also destined to hit Europe.

The AFBI facility in the North is the only one with stocks at the moment, but they hope to increase them throughout Europe.

Would you eat them?

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