Pablo gave us a presentation on potatoes. We learned that potatoes originated in the Andes mountains in Peru and are now the third largest food crop in the world. In Argentina, there are 68,000 hectares of potatoes grown each year. The McCain plant processes 400,000 metric tons of potatoes each year. They produce 200,000-240,000 metric tons of product, of which seventy percent is exported to Brazil, mostly for McDonalds. Pablo explained that about half of the potatoes are sourced from local growers and the other half are grown by the company. He told us the main strain of potatoes grown in Argentina are "Innovator", which have a dry matter content of about twenty percent. They are grown almost exclusively for industry, as the skin is rough and unappealling. This is in contrast to "Spunta", which we saw yesterday, which has a smooth skin and only about fifteen percent dry matter.
We learned that the biggest problems with potatoes tend to be fungus and recently, in the last five or so years, a virus called Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. This produces brown spots inside the potato. Another problem with potatoes is a phenomenon called "sugar ends". This happens when the potato has been stressed, and the starch in the ends of the potatoes turns into sugar. This happens naturally so the potato has a useable form of energy to begin growing, but it means bad things for fries. When this potato is fried, the Maillard reaction reaction occurs in the bit that has been turned into sugar and you get a spot in your fry that is brown. McDonald´s has set the tolerance for this sort of defect at only five percent. That is a lot of pressure to make perfect fries! There are also length requirements.
After the lecture, the students suited up and headed into the plant. Wearing hard hats, safety glasses, hair nets, and ear protection, we washed our hands and entered the production area. After being washed, potatoes are sent across the "bridge" to where they are steam peeled and cut. After being cut, they go through machines that look for defects such as discoloration. He explained that as the potatoes "jump" from one conveyor belt to another, a shot of air is used to knock the defective ones into a waste bin. The fries then go through a long machine that dries them using hot air. The raw potato fries are then sent to the fryers for a preliminary frying. After a precise frying, they are sent to the freezer, where they are cooled by sixty degrees (Celcius) in twelve minutes. They are then sent to packaging, which is almost entirely automated. This is all accomplished by only forty employees each shift. They produce eighteen tons of product an hour on their biggest line.
At the end of the tour, we entered the quality assurance lab and got to sample some of the product. It was the freshest batch of McDonald´s fries we will ever eat! There were also samples of smiley fries (emoji fries by label), potato balls (original and jamón y queso), and thick cut fries with the skin still on.
After the busy morning learning about potatoes and making french fries, we experienced lunch on our own in Balcarce. At two, we met at the museum of Juan Manuel Fangio. Juan was a very successful Formula 1 racecar driver in 50s and 60s. There dozens of cars, hundreds of trophies, and many stories recorded for us to listen to as we explored the museum. In the free time between visiting the museum and dinner, Sam offered to take us on an Argentine safari to the sierras. We climbed the "mountain" then enjoyed Balcarce alfajores!
Tonight will be a barbeque for us with INTA representatives. We are looking forward to some great Argentina style fare!
Tymbrie and Tucker
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