Sweet Potatoes: Development and Potential as Alternative Food Ingredients in Karanganyar Regency, Indonesia

Sweet potato is a local food that can reduce dependence on rice and flour consumption. It is the main source of carbohydrates, after rice, cassava, flour and corn. The benefits and potency of sweet potatoes as alternative food needs to be developed, especially in rural areas. However, sweet potato has not been considered as an important and high economic value commodity in Indonesia. Sweet potatoes have been used as food and non-food raw materials in developed countries i.e. noodles, fried sweet potatoes, desserts, confectionery, soy sauce, flour, wine, vinegar, nata de coco, bioethanol and others. Around 89 % of sweet potatoes in Indonesia are cultivated for providing food to rural communities, the rest are used for industrial raw materials and animal feed. The content of sweet potatoes includes carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Yellow/orange sweet potato is rich in beta-carotene and purple sweet potato contains anthocyanin (antioxidants). Sweet potato production is still limited to traditional food that is less attractive compared to flour products. Meanwhile, intermediate products have been developed including flour, instant flour, and starch that can be used as a substitute for flour in pastry products, wet cakes, breads, and noodles