TECHNOLOGY GENERATORS

University of the Philippines Diliman
Project Leader: Dr. Alonzo A. Gabriel (†), Ms. Rowena Grace R. Sanchez

THE PROBLEM

Sweet Potato has been recognized as a valuable source of calories, vitamins, minerals, and biologically active phytochemicals such as beta carotene, polyphenols, ascorbic acid, and dietary fiber. Notably, purple-fleshed sweet potatoes stand out for their elevated anthocyanin levels which may protect against Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Despite its advantageous qualities and cost-effectiveness compared to other crops, sweet potato has limited industrial applications which may be due to its short shelf life.

THE SOLUTION

To address this concern, a team of researchers, led by Dr. Alonzo Gabriel, from the University of the Philippines Diliman, has looked into the production of sweet potato flour (SPF) as a functional ingredient. Through a project funded by the DOST – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, the effects of flour processing on the nutritional and bioactive components and antioxidant capacity of SPF using Philippine sweet potato cultivars recommended by the National Seed Industry Council was investigated. It was identified that there is a substantial variation in proximate and mineral composition, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and antioxidant activities across the 19 sweet potato cultivars tested for flour processing. Strong positive correlations among total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) results underscored the contributions of phenolics and flavonoids to antioxidant activities. The purple-fleshed sweet potato variety consistently exhibited the highest values in total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activities for both raw and sweet potato flour samples, making it a recommended alternative source of flour with health benefits.

The anticipated growth in the functional food industry is expected to significantly propel the development of SPF as an alternative flour source. Processing sweet potato into flour can yield a more stable product with considerable economic value and promising prospects for industrial applications.

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT STATUS

The technology is currently at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3.

CURRENT NEEDS

The owners of the technology are actively seeking funding opportunities to support the continued development of Sweet Potato Flour as an alternative functional ingredient and flour source. Interested parties may send letters of intent to contact details provided below.

CONTACT DETAILS

University of the Philippines Diliman-Technology Transfer and Business Development Office (UPD-TTBDO)
OVCRD, Lower Ground Floor, PHIVOLCS Building, C.P. Garcia Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City 1101
techtransfer.ovcrd@up.edu.ph