Sweet Potato Processing and Uses

Many parts of the sweetpotato plant are edible, including the root, leaves, and shoots.

Sweetpotato vines also provide the basis for a high-protein animal feed.

Sweetpotato use has diversified considerably over the last four decades. With high starch content, it is well suited to processing and has become an important source of raw material for starch and starch-derived industrial products.

Added value for farmers comes from a variety of products and ingredients made from sweetpotato root including flour, dried chips, juice, bread, noodles, candy, and pectin.

New products include liquors and a growing interest in the use of the anthocyanin pigments in the purple varieties for food colorings and use in the cosmetics industry.