ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses technologies and practices for the utilization of sweet potato for industries of starch, distilled spirit "Shochu" and alcohol production and also investigates utilization or disposal of by-product. In some countries, sweet potatoes are used as raw material of industries. The items of industrial use include starch, distilled spirits, alcohol production. Roots of sweet potatoes contain 20 to 30% of starch and are one of the important starch-producing crops in the world. They can be grown throughout the year in the tropics, though production is limited to about 5 to 6 months in the temperate areas. Average gelatinization temperature for starch from six cultivars of sweet potatoes was found to range from 63.6 to 70.7°C by Madamba et al. Industrial use of sweet potato may be a growth industry, if the raw material supplies are constant and efficiency of production is stabilized.
