Michigan is About To Have The Healthiest Potato Chips in America

When you think of Michigan's crops you probably think of some of the obvious ones like blueberries, apples, cherries and asparagus. But, one of the things Michigan exports the most of, isn't one we get the most credit for.

You may have recently read that Michigan is responsible for 1 in 4 potatoes that are used in the manufacturing of potato chips across America. You'll find our potatoes in brands like Lays, Better Made, and more. And now, we're working on making our potatoes some of the most healthy in America.

Recently, Michigan State University started to study how they can modify potatoes when they're being made into chips and they came across a surprising, and possibly exciting discovery.

Scientists at Michigan State University figured out a little piece of science could lead to us having a healthier version of one of the best junk foods of all: potato chips.

At first, you may think that they found a way to make a low-sodium chip that doesn't bum you out (no one has figured that one out) but, instead, it's about the actual composition of the potatoes.

Researchers at MSU found out how to isolate unhealthy compounds in the starches of potatoes, specifically ones that form when cooked at high temperatures. This would allow us to have a more low-fat and diet-friendly version of one of America's favorite junk foods.

Here's how they explain what they found:

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the third most important food crop in the world. Potato tubers must be stored at cold temperatures to minimize sprouting and losses due to disease. However, cold temperatures strongly induce the expression of the potato vacuolar invertase gene (VInv) and cause reducing sugar accumulation. This process, referred to as “cold-induced sweetening”, is a major postharvest problem for the potato industry.

So just like you use cold-pressed products for your diets or your beauty products, the cold can also possibly make our snacks healthier? How awesome is that?