In the catering industry, mashed potato is prepared either directly from potatoes or by
reconstituting dehydrated potato granules and flakes. The two major factors that determine a
caterer’s choice of mashed potato are cost and consumer preference. Consumer preference is
influenced by a combination of flavour, texture and appearance (Canet et al., 2005a). Novais et al
(1982) reported that flavour and texture contributed significantly to overall preference (64-68 and
32-36 per cent, respectively) of five mashed potato products.