Reference
Patatin
**Patatin** is the major storage-protein family of the potato tuber, a glycoprotein that accounts for more than 20% of the soluble protein in mature potatoes and forms a primary component of potato protein isolate.
Structure and abundance
Patatin is not a single molecule but a family of closely related glycoproteins synthesized and stored in the potato tuber. It carries N-linked glycans whose structures have been characterized across different Solanum species; these glycans can be important for protein stability and may influence allergenicity (PMID:25763881). In the tuber, patatin functions as a storage reserve, and on a dry basis a potato protein isolate can contain 80–95% protein, much of it patatin-rich material.
Alongside patatin, the tuber contains a second major fraction of protease inhibitors. Together these two groups make potato a protein source with a favourable amino acid profile, which is why it is used as a single-ingredient isolate. A fuller overview of how this material is sourced and used appears in our guide to what potato protein is.
Functional properties
Patatin, as the major potato protein, exhibits functional behaviour useful in food applications, including foaming and emulsification, and it can release bioactive peptides on hydrolysis. Research into these hydrolysates has examined ACE-inhibitory peptides, which are typically generated as mixtures requiring purification for identification; their in-vitro activity does not always correlate with an antihypertensive effect in vivo because of digestion by gastrointestinal and brush-border enzymes (BioMedicine, 2012). In-silico methods are commonly used to predict probable bioactive peptides before laboratory testing.
Patatin’s heat behaviour is notable: potato allergens are heat-labile at 50°C, an effect attributed to aggregation of patatin with other proteins rather than to denaturation alone (Pots et al. 1998; Koppelman et al. 2002).
Allergenicity
Patatin is the primary potato allergen, designated Sol t 1, accompanied by several protease inhibitors (Sol t 2, Sol t 3, Sol t 4). In a murine model, patatin and a 53 kDa protein were identified as the potential allergens from potato (Molecular Immunology, 2018, PMID:30031281). Patatin has also been described as a major cross-reactive allergen in patients with latex allergy who also react to potato (PMID:12487228), with cross-reactivity observed by immunoblot inhibition analysis (Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 1996, PMID:8732238). Such cross-reactivity is allergen-specific rather than universal: no cross-reactivity was found between certain isoforms of the latex allergen Hev b 7 and potato patatin (PMID:10589016). Cross-reactivity among Solanaceae members such as potato, tomato, pepper, and eggplant is possible but not universal, owing to homologous patatin-like and protease-inhibitor proteins (Case Reports in Pediatrics, 2025, PMID:40955319).
Related terms