The Department of Food Science and Technology of Punjab Agricultural University(PAU) has developed technologies for processing of potato into low-cost indigenous products, which can help to solve the problems of the farmers and take them out of financial crunch.
Poonam A. Sachdev, Head of the department, said, “Potato is a perishable commodity. Inadequacies in its post-harvest handling, storage and non-availability of suitable potato varieties in our country have resulted in frequent gluts in the market, causing economic losses to the farmers and wastage of precious food. The university has evolved a technology through which processed potato products will serve as a mean to increase their use in off seasons along with their high nutritional value.”
“Potato contains carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, dietary fibre and negligible amount of fat. Potatoes are considered as a significant antioxidant source of nutrition, she observed. The main potato antioxidants are polyphenols, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, tocopherols, a-lipoic acid and selenium”, she added.
The Department of Food Science and Technology has developed indigenous technology for drying of potato slices with minimal cost, which can be applied at farm gate also. Various trainings and facilities are provided for processing and value addition of plant crops in the Food Industry Business Incubation Centre, Department of Food Science and Technology, PAU, she informed.