Colored and biofortified sweet potatoes meet the demand of the productive sector of Brazil

To meet the demand of farmers and consumers, Embrapa Vegetables (Brasília) launched three new sweet potato varieties: BRS Cotinga, BRS Anembé and BRS Nuti. The first is recommended for industrial processing in the form of chips, flour, starch syrup and other derivative products; the second, for the table market, in baked culinary preparations such as purees, homemade jams and breads; and the third serves both purposes. According to researcher Larissa Vendrame, in addition to presenting more colors and nutrients, the cultivars have triple the productivity of the national average. The idea of developing colored and biofortified sweet potatoes, reveals Larissa, arose from the demand of producers who had difficulty accessing this type of product. “The varieties available on the market had low productivity and were susceptible to pests and diseases. In addition, producers could not access quality seedlings”, says the researcher. Among the advantages presented by the new cultivars is ...