Tess,
I read your article on making your own dried potato flakes and wonder how long these would last?
Thanks,
A Reader
Answer:
The powdered potato flakes last anywhere between 6 months to a year in a regular container. If you add oxygen absorbers and ensure it stays out of direct sunlight and other food enemies (oxygen, sunlight, insects, moisture), it has the potential to last indefinitely. Here is a study I found on instant potato flakes in #10 cans:
“ABSTRACT: The sensory and nutritional quality of dehydrated potato flakes packaged in nr 10 cans held at ambient temperatures up to30 y was studied. Thirteen samples of dehydrated potato flakes were obtained from donors. A consumer panel evaluated reconstituted product for appearance, aroma, texture, flavor, and overall acceptability using a 9-point hedonic scale. Overall acceptability hedonic scores ranged from 3.7 to 6.6 and declined significantly over time. Sensory shelf-life, based on a cutoff of 80% of initial overall acceptability, was 16 y. Vitamin C levels remained constant over storage time. Headspace hexanal concentrations ranged from 0 to 2.09 μg/g. There was no significant correlation between headspace hexanal of dry flakes and hedonic scores of reconstituted product.Dehydrated potato flakes appear to retain sufficient quality over time to warrant consideration for long-term storage purposes.”
This is in #10 cans, which I would think would preserve it best.