Sweet Potato As an Alternative Food Supplement During Rice Shortage
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SWEET POTATO AS AN ALTERNATIVE FOOD SUPPLEMENT DURING RICE SHORTAGE Nani Zuraida Indonesian Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetic Resources Research Institute, Jalan Tentara Pelajar No. 3A, Bogor 16111 ABSTRACT Sweet potato is the most productive carbohydrate producing crop, but it requires less inputs and water compared to rice, corn or potato. Its wide adaptation to various agroecologies render the crop as human live saver during the food shortage. Therefore, campaign need to be launched to popularize this crop as an integral part in the daily menu, in the forms of fresh cooked or processed products. Utilization of sweet potato flour for making noodles, cakes, cookies, dougnuts, etc could increase the acceptance and demand for sweet potato. If total consumption of sweet potato is increased by 60 kg/capita/year, it will reduce the demand for rice, and thus lessen the burden for importing rice. Sweet potato varieties with specific tuber characteristics for various usages are available. Keywords: Sweet potatoes, foods, supplements, food consumption ABSTRAK Ubi jalar sebagai suplemen pangan selama masa paceklik Ubi jalar merupakan tanaman penghasil karbohidrat yang paling produktif dan untuk memproduksinya diperlukan masukan yang rendah dan sedikit pengairan dibanding padi, jagung atau kentang. Daya adaptasinya sangat luas sehingga ubi jalar dapat berfungsi sebagai sumber pangan alternatif yang murah pada masa paceklik. Oleh karena itu, perlu ada kampanye makan ubi jalar sebagai bagian integral dari menu makanan sehari-hari, baik dalam bentuk masakan segar atau hasil olahan. Penggunaan tepung ubi jalar untuk pembuatan mi, kue basah, kue kering, donat, dan sebagainya akan dapat meningkatkan penerimaan dan permintaan masyarakat terhadap ubi jalar. Apabila konsumsi per kapita dapat ditingkatkan menjadi 60 kg/tahun, permintaan terhadap beras akan menurun, sehingga dapat mengurangi impor beras. Varietas ubi jalar dengan sifat spesifik sesuai bagi masing-masing penggunaan telah tersedia. Kata kunci: Ubi jalar, pangan, suplemen, konsumsi pangan weet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) is considered as having low economic this crop in strategic position during food Sis an important alternative source value, but it has significant social shortage period. of carbohydrate, taking the fourth importance. It is most versetile for snack place after rice, corn, and cassava. As a food, but in Papua, it is used as staple food secondary food source, this crop or as a rice substitute. constitutes of energy, beta carotene, Generally, the tubers are consumed PRODUCTION AND DISTRI- vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, and in fresh form, cooked by frying or boiling BUTION OF SWEET POTATO minerals. Certain varieties are richer and also processed into various traditional source of pro-vitamin A than rice and snack foods. The tubers can also be used The tuberous root of sweet potato can be also a good source of phosphorus, as a raw material for food and feed harvested well from light texture soils, and calcium, and potassium. industry. For industrial purposes, a high is considered as an inexpensive energy Sweet potato is very productive starch content and high starch yield source in East and Southeast Asia (Tsou crop, easy to grow and having less variety is needed. Mixture of wheat flour and Hong 1989). In Indonesia, although it problems in the field compared to other and sweet potato flour could make a good is considered as low value crop, sweet food crops. It can produce high yield in baking product, which should increase its potato is an important food crop for the short period of time and is adaptable to economic value. Improved quality and low income families after rice, maize, and various agroclimates. Presently, this crop productivity of sweet potato could place cassava. 150 Jurnal Litbang Pertanian, 22(4), 2003 Production of sweet potato is Kalimantan 5.30%. At the production Pengembangan Tanaman Pangan 2001). relatively stable of around 2 million tons centers such as in Blitar and Magetan These varieties aside from having high of fresh tuber annually. These seem to be (East Java), Karanganyar (Central Java), yield are also tolerant to scab disease no correlation between fluctuation of rice and Kuningan (West Java), sweet potato (Elsinoe batatas). One drawback for their or corn production and that of sweet yield can be as high as 40 t/ha of fresh adoption is that the cooking quality is potato. Its availability at the whole year tuber. poor, due to high moisture content for round indicated that sweet potato The average productivity of sweet some varieties. Sweet potato varieties with functions more as snack food rather potato in Indonesia is still low, although dry texture and moderate sweetness are than as staple food. In 2001, sweet potato at specific locations the productivity is more preferred by consumers than those production in Indonesia was 1.75 million sufficiently high. By using disease free with wet types. Nevertheless, high- tons of fresh tuber (Badan Pusat Statistik planting material of the recommended yielding varieties could be grown for 2001). Java has the highest contribution improved variety and proper rate of industrial purposes, such as for pro- at 0.70−1 million tons annually, or about fertilizer application, the productivity of cessing into ketchup sauce ingredient. 40% of the national production (Table 1). sweet potato could attain an optimum Farmers in the sweet potato pro- Planted area of sweet potato was yield (Table 2). Indonesian Center for ducing area generally prefer to grow local 181,026 − 200,000 ha with an average yield Food Crops Research and Development variety. In Bogor (West Java), the most of 10 t/ha. Java has the biggest area of had released twelve high-yielding popular variety is SQ 27, which was sweet potato growing (34.80%), Sumatra varieties of potato, namely Daya, formerly named as Southern Queen 27 18.80%, Maluku and Papua 18.70%, Bali, Prambanan, Borobudur, Mendut, Kalasan, introduced from Puerto Rico and released West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Cangkuang, Sewu, Sari, Kidal, Sukuh, for farmers in the 1950’s. Another varieties Tenggara 12.70%, Sulawesi 9.70%, and Jago, and Boko (Pusat Penelitian dan planted in Bogor include Tariko, Tumpuk, Jarak Merah, and Jaruju (Watson et al. 1992). In Kuningan, the most popular varieties are Lampeneng, Citok, and Ceret Table 1. Production, harvested area, and productivity of sweet potato by and in Karanganyar (Central Java) are region in Indonesia, 2001. Bestak Putih, Mangkokan (also called Bestak Mangkokan), and Sablah. Local Production Harvested Productivity Highest yield variety named Gropak is the most famous Region (t) area (ha) (t/ha) reported in Pacet, Mojokerto (East Java). Gropak (t/ha)1 has a red skin and white flesh (Widodo Sumatra 311,431 33,959 9.17 29 1994), and it is preferred for its eating Java 686,940 63,032 10.90 43 qualities. Two famous varieties, namely Bali, West and East Nusa 217,860 23,086 9.44 30 Genjah Rante and Samarinda, are widely Tenggara Kalimantan 77,083 9,609 8.02 25 planted by farmers in Blitar. Genjah Rante Sulawesi 147,097 17,558 8.38 30 has a red skin and yellow flesh tuber, and Maluku and Papua 308,659 33,782 9.14 25 it is preferred for its drought tolerance and Indonesia 1,749,070 181,026 9.66 higher tuber yield. Samarinda has a red 1Various report from Indonesian Center for Food Crops Research and Development.. skin and purplish flesh color and it has Source: Badan Pusat Statistik (2001). good cooking and eating quality. The local variety named Kamplong Putih has a good eating quality with a medium high Table 2. Sweet potato varieties released by the Indonesian Center for Food yielding potential (Basuki and Guritno Crops Research and Development, 1978− 2001. 1990) and it is the most famous variety in Magetan, East Java. The major charac- Tuber color Varieties Year Productivity Taste/ teristics of those local sweet potato released (t/ha) Skin Flesh texture varieties are listed on Table 3. Daya 1978 28 Yellow Yellow Sweet/watery In general, local varieties show Prambanan 1982 32 Yellow Orange Sweet/watery specific adaptation, have good eating Borobudur 1982 27 Light red Orange Sweet/watery quality, and the planting material is Mendut 1989 35 Light red Light yellow Moderate available in the area. Traders and buyers sweet/watery expect to buy known sweet potato tubers Kalasan 1990 38 Red Yellow Sweet/watery Cangkuang 1998 30 Dark red Light yellow Sweet from a certain location, which render Sewu 1998 28.50 Yellow Orange Sweet farmers reluctant to change the variety brownish they usually planted. Sari 2001 30−35 Red Dark yellow Sweet Kidal 2001 25−30 Red Dark yellow Sweet Sukuh 2001 25−30 Yellow White Sweet/dry Jago 2001 25−30 White Light yellow Sweet/dry TRADITIONAL USAGES Boko 2001 25−30 Red Cream Sweet Source: Pusat Penelitian dan Pengembangan Tanaman Pangan (2001). Sweet potato has potential to produce high yield in short period of time and is Jurnal Litbang Pertanian, 22(4), 2003 151 depending on how it is cooked. Baking Table 3. The characteristics of local varieties of sweet potato. often increases sweetness, while boiling may preserve an original taste and bring Tuber color Name of variety Area of out the color intensity. Frying enhances distribution Skin Flesh sweetness, especially for less watery SQ-27 Bogor Cream Cream tubers. Farmers select certain varieties Tariko Bogor Purple red Dark cream based on consumer preference. Varieties Tumpuk Bogor Brownish orange Pale orange with soft texture, sweet, yellow or orange Jarak Merah Bogor White Dark cream color are preferred for boiling and Jaruju Bogor Cream White steaming, while those with white or Lampeneng Kuningan Red Dark yellow Citok Kuningan Red Dark yellow purplish flesh and harder texture are for Ceret Kuningan Brownish orange Dark cream frying.