Post harvest physiology, food science, and marketing

1330. Recent development in processing of sweetpotato puree for functional food ingredient (back)

V. D. Truong^1*, J. Simunovic², P. Coronel³, P. Kumar², L. Steed², K. P. Sandeep², G. Cartwright² and K. Swartzel²

¹USDA-ARS Food Science Research Unit,²Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, ³Unilever Food and Health Research Institute, 3133 AC, Vlaardingen, The Netherlands

The utilization of sweetpotatoes in the food industry often involves processing of the roots into puree that can be subsequently preserved by canning or freezing. However, due to high viscosity and low thermal conductivity of the purees, conventional thermal processing methods usually result in poor product quality and high nutrient losses. On the other hands, frozen puree requires considerable investment in distribution and storage, as well as a lengthy and poorly controlled defrosting treatment prior to use. These problems could be overcome by a newly developed process using a 915 MHz continuous flow microwave system for rapid sterilization and aseptic packaging of sweetpotato puree. The resulting product packed in flexible plastic containers had the color and viscosity comparable to the non-sterilized puree and was shelf-stable for at least 12 months. With this technology, consistently high quality puree from sweetpotato culls (30-40% of the crop) can be packaged into virtually unlimited container sizes as a functional ingredient (high carotene and anthocyanins, natural color, thickening and gelling properties) for the food processing industry. This technology can be extended to highly viscous biomaterials, and purees from other fruits and vegetables. The first commercial venture on aseptically packaged sweetpotato puree using this microwave-assisted processing technology is being carried out by a start-up food company in North Carolina. This development opens up a new market opportunity for the sweetpotato industry, and potentially increases the utilization of this highly nutritious vegetable in various processed food products.

1345. Web-based sweetpotato promotion (back)

Jack D. Osman

Health Science Department, Towson University, Towson, Maryland 21252

This rapid-fire Power-Point presentation depicts many of the sweetpotato-based resources available on the WWW for the consumer. Today’s internet savvy consumer relies on the World Wide Web for immediate answers to inquires. This 24/7 medium provides an excellent opportunity to provide the knowledge hungry seeker with answers to sweetpotato questions. Universities, organizations, growers, companies and/or anyone who loves sweetpotatoes has an ethical responsibility to provide accurate information to web seekers. Attractively developed web pages are an inexpensive way to promote the sweetpotato. Several web sites will be featured and a limited number of CD-ROMs with hyperlinked web sites promoting the sweetpotato will be made available for NSCG members.