Industrial Uses of Sweet Potatoes

It has now been determined that sweet potatoes have very diverse uses apart from just consumption.  For the past decades, sweet potatoes have mostly been grown or food, both for humans and animals but with advances in technology, it’s now possible for sweet potatoes to be used in various industrial processes. Here are a few industrial uses of sweet potatoes:

Sweet Potato Bio Fuel: Scientists from Taiwan have devised new and more efficient processes to convert sweet potatoes into bio ethanol. The new methods means sweet potatoes will in the future power a new and cleaner transportation, particularly in the developing countries. The use of sweet potatoes as biofuels will also slow down global warming caused by the greenhouse gases from fossil fuels. For developing countries, this will be an easier means of building a green transportation industry as sweet potatoes are relatively easier to produce.

Greener African Economies: Sweet Potatoes could be used as biofuels (bio ethanol) in the future to power transportation in Africa and many developing countries.

 Sweet Potato Starch: 10% of the sweet potato produce in China is processed into starch often by small scale enterprises using manual or simple mechanized equipment. Chinese farmers, through small investments in equipment and processes have been able to convert millions of tons into starch. The starch is used mainly for noodles. Some are also packed in bags and exported to other countries in South East Asia. The sweet potato starch is also used to feed pigs helping boost China’s livestock production.

Purple Sweet Potato Starch

Sweet Potato Flour: Sweet potato flour can be used in making biscuits, baking bread and cookies and many other uses in the food industry. In China, sweet potatoes are even used in the making of noodles. There are countless ways to use sweet potatoes in other industrial and non industrial applications. Do you have an idea or experience on the use sweet of potatoes in other commercial ventures? Please share with us.

Sweet Potato Flour has many application in the food industry