Agriculture Research Service scientists have come up with new varieties of sweetpotato that will make great-tasting and nutritious chips and french fries.
For the past eight years, ARS scientists at the Vegetable Lab at Charleston, SC, and Clemson University, have used conventional breeding and selection to develop medium light-orange, yellow, or cream-colored sweetpotato breeding lines for new uses.
The new sweetpotato chips and fries soak up less oil because they have a higher percentage of dry matter. They are crispier and contain less fat.
They are high in beta-carotene, vitamin A, fiber, vitamin C and folic acid.
Commercial cooperators are being sought to test the fries on a large scale. If these new products catch on, they could open up new markets for U.S. growers and offer nutritious foods for consumers.