OFSP puree and products: Puree Production and Products for Sweet Potato

Effortless sweet potato puree, every time!

The OFSP (Orange-fleshed sweet potato) puree technology involves the conversion of fresh sweet potato tubers into a stable and versatile puree. The process includes cleaning, steaming, peeling, and mashing or pureeing the sweet potato flesh. This results in a smooth and uniform puree suitable for various food applications. Vacuum-packed storage technology with preservatives extends the shelf life of the puree. Hygiene and food safety practices are maintained throughout the process.

This technology is TAAT1 validated.

8•8

Scaling readiness: idea maturity 8/9; level of use 8/9

0.36—0.53 USD

Per kilogram of OFSP puree production

18—42 %

Net profit margin

IP

Open source / open access

Problem

Difficulty in Peeling: It's hard to remove the tough outer layer of sweet potatoes by hand.

Slow Cooking Process: Cooking sweet potatoes takes a long time when done without special machines.

Mashing is Tough: Making sweet potatoes smooth is a tough job.

Quality Control Challenges: It's not easy to make sure the puree is safe and good to eat.

Time-Consuming: Doing all these tasks by hand takes a lot of time and effort.

Inconsistent Results: Manual processes may lead to uneven or rough-textured puree.

Shorter Shelf Life: Without advanced technology, the puree might not last as long.

Solution

Effortlessly peels the tough outer layer, significantly expediting the process.
Cooks sweet potatoes swiftly, ensuring efficiency.
Transforms the cooked sweet potatoes into a smooth mixture.
Quality control is enhanced through automated checks, guaranteeing the puree's safety and high quality.
Increase production speed, making the process more efficient.
Delivers consistent results, ensuring a smooth texture every time.
Extends the puree's shelf life, ensuring it remains safe to eat for an extended period.

Key points to design your business plan

This technology is beneficial for manufactures (Food processors):

Introducing Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) puree production and products technology into your business offers a sustainable solution to food processing, promoting agricultural efficiency and economic sustainability. To effectively integrate this technology:

Ensure the availability and continuous supply of quality OFSP roots.
Raise consumer awareness and create demand among consumers.
Obtain the required food processing equipment for converting sweet potato tubers into puree, ensuring efficient and hygienic production processes.
Adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards during puree production to maintain product quality, safety, and hygiene.
Consider the number and units of equipment needed, including delivery, installation, and training costs.

For example, a study in Kenya found that the cost of producing OFSP puree amounted to USD 0.53 per kilogram in a cottage-sized facility, which is below the current production cost of wheat flour at USD 0.61 per kilogram. Increasing the boiler equipment could decrease the manufacturing costs of sweet potato puree to USD 0.36 per kilogram.

Your potential consumers include supermarkets, bakeries, and other food processing businesses.

Adults 18 and over: Positive high

Women: Positive low

Climate adaptability: Highly adaptable

Farmer climate change readiness: Significant improvement

Carbon footprint: A bit less carbon released

Environmental health: Does not improve environmental health

Water use: Same amount of water used

Countries with a green colour: Tested & adopted
Countries with a bright green colour: Adopted
Countries with a yellow colour: Tested

Countries where the technology has been tested and adopted
Country	Tested	Adopted
Kenya	–Not tested	Adopted
Malawi	–Not tested	Adopted
Mozambique	–Not tested	Adopted
Rwanda	–Not tested	Adopted

This technology can be used in the colored agro-ecological zones. Any zones shown in white are not suitable for this technology.

Agro-ecological zones where this technology can be used
AEZ	Subtropic - warm	Subtropic - cool	Tropic - warm	Tropic - cool
Arid
Semiarid
Subhumid
Humid

Source: HarvestChoice/IFPRI 2009

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are applicable to this technology.

Goal 2: zero hunger

Goal 3: good health and well-being

Making sweet potato puree using technology to turn fresh, sweet potatoes into a smooth, mashed-up mixture.

Choosing Good Sweet Potatoes: First, we pick the best sweet potatoes that are fresh and not damaged.
Cleaning and Sorting: We wash the sweet potatoes to remove any dirt and check them for any bad spots.
Peeling and Trimming: We take off the tough outer layer and get rid of any parts that aren't good to eat.
Cooking: We use machines to cook the sweet potatoes until they're soft and easy to mash.
Mashing or Pureeing: After cooking, we use special machines to turn the sweet potatoes into a smooth mixture.
Straining (Optional): Sometimes, we filter out any bits that might make the mixture rough.
Checking for Quality: We make sure that the puree is really good quality and doesn't have anything extra in it.
Putting it in Packages: We then put the sweet potato puree into containers like cans, jars, or bags that keep it fresh.