Potato Product Processing Systems

Potato Product Processing Systems

Potato products come from the common, starch, potato crop. Potato products are made from the edible tuber as opposed to the vegetative part of the plant. Potatoes and potato products are a staple food in most parts of the world as well as an integral part of the world’s food supply. Only 4 years ago, potatoes were the fourth largest food crop in the world. Potato products can benefit from rotary drying, size reducing, milling, and material handling depending on the product at hand and its processing needs.

Wild potato species are found all over the Americas, ranging from the US to southern Chile. After millennia of selective breeding all around the world, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes to choose from. Most of these species come from the lowlands of south-central Chile.

The importance of potatoes and potato products around the world can’t be stressed enough. It is still a staple crop in much of the world. In is an essential crop in Europe, specifically eastern and central Europe, where potato production is the highest in the world. The use of potatoes and potato products is growing rapidly in southern and eastern Asia, especially in China and India.

Potato products are made in many different ways. The potato can be prepared with the skin on or peeled, whole or cut up, and with a variety of seasonings that fit the dish in question. The only important aspect to creating edible potato products comes from cooking the potato until the starch granules swell. Potato products and dishes are primarily served hot, but there are exceptions. Some of the most common dishes, especially ones that are seen in the US are mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, boiled potatoes, French fries, chips, scalloped potatoes, hash browns, dumplings, and potato pancakes. These are just a few of the many potato products that can come from this crop, and there are a variety of other products specific to the type of potato, the region, and country it is prepared and processed in. Their ease of cooking is what makes them such an appealing food item to many people across the world and different socioeconomic backgrounds. They are also fairly nutritious.

Even though the primary use for potatoes is for food purposes, a number of other potato products still exist such as, vodka, fodder for livestock, and potato starch. There are also a lot of experimental uses that are being looked at. For example, some companies are looking that the possibility of using potato wastes to obtain polylactic acid to help make plastic products, which can help to create biodegradable packaging. In India, there have been experiments with potato skins to help burn victims by using the skins as a protective layer while they heal.

Excess potato products can benefit from rotary drying, size reducing, milling, and material handling. The ONIX Corporation’s processing systems can handle numerous materials and co-products that you may not know what to do with or want a better more effective way to process. We have the ability to work with materials such as, but not limited to, apple pomace, citrus pomace, sludge, alfalfa, bagasse, coffee grounds, sawdust, potato products and much more. Our equipment is engineered to fit your specific needs. If you feel that The ONIX Corporation may be of assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to research more about our alternative fuel systems, including rotary drum dryers and material handling solutions. Whether you’re looking for a new solution to process excess waste from potato products or something else, it never hurts to give us a call to learn more.