The humble potato chip, a ubiquitous snack, belies a sophisticated scientific endeavor spanning decades, with researchers meticulously engineering the perfect spud for our crunching pleasure.

Behind every satisfying crunch lies a surprising amount of science, dedicated to cultivating potatoes that thrive in diverse climates, resist pests and diseases, endure months in storage, and meet evolving consumer demands, such as the shift towards snack-sized portions.

“The potato industry is dynamic,” said David Douches, a Michigan State University professor who leads the school’s Potato Breeding and Genetics Program. “The needs change, the costs, the pressures that they have, and the markets change. So we have to adapt to that with our varieties.”

Douches has been at the forefront of this innovation, developing five new potato varieties for chip makers over the past 15 years.

His most recent breakthrough involves a bioengineered potato capable of maintaining a proper sugar balance even when stored at colder temperatures, a crucial advancement in preventing spoilage. Douches is currently growing seeds for commercial testing of the potato, which is not yet on the market.

Beyond the snack aisle, Douches’ work has a broader impact, contributing to global food security through the development of disease-resistant varieties for farmers in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and Bangladesh. Domestically, his efforts bolster U.S. chip manufacturers and Michigan’s substantial $2.5 billion potato industry. While Idaho leads the nation in overall potato production, Michigan stands out as the top producer of potatoes specifically destined for chips.

Currently, approximately 50 unique potato varieties are cultivated for chip production across the U.S., a testament to the ongoing research facilitated by the National Chip Program. This cooperative initiative unites Michigan State with 11 other university breeding programs, alongside growers, chip companies, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The quest for improved varieties is relentless. Each year, the National Chip Program evaluates around 225 new potato varieties, selecting 100 for further trials, according to Tim Rendall, director of production research at Potatoes USA, the trade group overseeing the program.

This close-knit partnership between researchers, farmers, and potato chip companies is a rarity within the food industry, notes Phil Gusmano, vice president of purchasing at Better Made Snack Foods, a Detroit-based chip producer since 1930. Gusmano highlights Better Made’s direct collaboration with Douches during the development of two varieties the company now utilizes.

“We were able talk about size profile and different needs that make a really good chip,” Gusmano said. “And the great thing is, they’re willing to listen to what we have to say, because if they put together a potato that doesn’t really meet the needs for the end processor, it doesn’t do them any good.”

Breeding a new potato variety is a painstaking process that can take up to 15 years, Douches explains. The seemingly simple potato possesses a surprisingly complex genetic structure, with four chromosomes per cell, compared to the two found in most species, including humans. This complexity makes predicting inherited traits in cross-bred plants particularly challenging.

“We’re never able to fix a trait and carry that over to the next generation, so it’s very difficult to find a potato that has all the traits that we want,” Douches said.

Douches’ fascination with potato breeding and genetics began in graduate school. At Michigan State, his focus on chipping potatoes is strategic, given Michigan’s leading role in this sector. Approximately 70% of the state’s potato crop is earmarked for chip processing, with the Michigan Ag Council estimating that one in every four bags of potato chips produced in the U.S. contains Michigan potatoes.

One of the most significant challenges in Douches’ 40-year career has been breeding potatoes that can be stored for nearly a year. Historically, farmers stored harvested potatoes in large piles at around 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). Colder temperatures cause sugar levels in the root vegetables to rise, leading to darker potato chips, while warmer conditions risk rot.

“You think they’re just these inanimate objects, but they actually are respiring and breathing,” Douches said. “When you do that to them, you’ve got, like, a two- to three-day window where they’re happy.”

His Manistee variety, released in 2013, can be safely stored until July at 45 F (7.2 C). The new bioengineered potato pushes this further, allowing storage at 40 F (4.4 C).

Gusmano confirms the tangible benefits of these advancements. Better Made previously sourced potatoes from outside Michigan for half the year because local Michigan potatoes, harvested in the fall, could only be stored until February. Now, with newer varieties like Douches’ Mackinaw potato, which is resistant to several common diseases and can be stored until July, the company’s supply chain has been revolutionized.

“We’re not shipping potatoes from all over the country to be fried here in Michigan,” Gusmano said. “Instead, they’re being shipped from an hour and a half away all year long.”