Physiological responses (respiration, sugar, phosphate, and chip color changes) of potatoes to tuber-on-tuber tumbling were obtained with a handling simulator and related impact data were recorded with an instrumented sphere (IS). We attempted to combine the two technologies (simulator and instrumented sphere) into a single test that might quantify internal quality changes for processing. The simulator satisfactorily elicited physiological responses from the sample tubers, reflecting increased metabolic activity. It appears that changes in the concentrations of any one of the variables caused by the simulated handling could be utilized to identify the potential for internal quality degradation. However, our results may preclude the use of the IS as a simple extension and representation of the handling simulation; such adaptation of the IS appears to be more complex.