IPB Planned to Establish of Starch and Sweet Potato Powder Processing Unit in Bogor
A group of researchers of the Department of Food Science and Technology, of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology Bogor Agricultural University (FATETA IPB), namely Tjahja Muhandri, Dase Hunaefi, Sutrisno Koswara and Subarna, carried out the research program on the establishment of starch and sweet potato processing unit in Bogor, West Java.
Of the starchy foods, cassava was the most important crop. However, cassava production has been fluctuating in recent years, while the use of cassava in the food industry has tended to decline, from 5.8 million mt in 1990 to only 3.9 million mt in 1993. Flours and starches isolated from traditional tubers and roots grown in Indonesia have physical and chemical properties suitable for certain food applications, their utilizations are limited to several types, such as wheat flour, rice powder, corn powder, and tapioca. Nevertheless, the use of these agricultural products, including sweet potatoes, is generally still limited as a staple food and as raw material for the downstream processing.
Tjahja said, sweet potatoes have prospective to be developed and processed into starch and powder. Based on the previous research, sweet potato starch and flour can be used as raw material for the production of cookies, biscuits, cakes, bakery products, baby food, noodles, flakes, and so on.
He said the development of the starch and sweet potato starch industry would provide an alternative to the locally available locally produced starch and flour type. Sweet potato (SP) is an important root crop grown all over the world and consumed as a vegetable, boiled, baked or often fermented into food and beverages. It could be a very good vehicle for addressing some health related problems and also serve as food security. This is very much in line with national food security programs and food diversification efforts.
In order to realize the establishment an integrated of starch industry and sweet potato powder, it is necessary to build a synergistic and sustainable partnership between universities / research institutions as producers of technology with private parties as partners.
"In case of Starch and Sweet Potato Processing Plan, SEAFAST Center, one of the Center under the Institute of Research and Community Service of Bogor Agricultural University (LPPM IPB) which has experiences in carrying out research program on Riset Unggulan Strategis Nasional (Rusnas Research Center of Excellence), Food Diversification, especially related to the use of sweet potato will act as a provider of technology and PT. Mega Langgeng Utama as a partner that utilizes the technology and SEAFAST Center experiences, "he said.
He added that in this partnership program the partner capacity will be improved, among others, by producing new processed products such as starch and sweet potato flour and various types of processed products. As well as other products and by-products.
The results showed that sweet potato starch of AC variety is the superior species, it much better compare to other species such as Sukuh, Cangkuang and Sawentar. AC variety contain carbohydrate content (99.16%), white degree (83.27%), swelling power (16.50 g / g), and have the best cooking resistance. The factory has been designed in accordance with the blue print of the plant, which will process 300 kg of sweet potato per day. (Wied)
