NEW USES FOR THE POTATO

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17630, 21 May 1919, Page 6

NEW USES FOR THE POTATO

THE SUCCULENT TUBER AS AN INDUSTRIAL STAPLE.

By Arthur Nokton, in the World's Work. During the past four years the potato has become invested with a wider significance not only as an indispensable article of food for both man and beast, but as a s tap to oi industry. What was popularly regarded as a mere vegetable now promises to constitute the foundation for one or two new industries, while, furthermore, it -would seem also to offer the icady means to re-establish, a trade which was lost through the unscrupulous trading tactics of the Germans. We have never practised potato culture upon a scale comparable with that followed by the enemy. Whereas the latter raise some 50,000,000 tons of the succulent tuber every year, we axe content with less than one-tenth of that quantity. We appear to have overlooked its potentialities as a base for various industrial operations. But wd have become enlightened. The necessity to rely more completely upon our own resources rendered the raising of wheat more vitally important. In such way we could become less dependent upon the world for our supplies of the staff of life. But we overlooked the fact that domestic-grown grain to-day, as 100 years ago, physiologically is not adapted to the preparation of bread. Normally only a certain volume of native wheat can be used; it has to be blended with a certain proportion of imported flour, not so much to secure that attractive white appearance as to obtain the requisite percentage of gluten missing from the domestic cereal. A century ago, when this problem had to be solved, our bakers resorted to the potato as a constituent for the loaf, thus securing the gluten content which was so eminently desirable; consequently the tuber then played a far more prominent part in the welfare of Britain than it does to-day. When imported wheat became possible the necessity to have recourse to the potato decreased, until finally it disappeared from the loaf altogether, and has not again been employed in this direction to any marked degree until recently. The revived utilisation of the potato as a bread-making material has not been wholly successful. The reason is not far to seek. Our bakers did not know how to prepare it for this purpose; the process ha<J become a lost art. The resultant loaf, in the preparation of which mashed potato was incorporated, left much to be desired. It was not appetising either ip. appearance or taste, it 3 keepincr quali- ! ties were decidedly iudiiterent, while it 3 nourishing virtues were certainly impaired, *or this reason the utilisation of the potato m bread-making came to be generally regarded as a form of substitution, if not actual adulteration, whereas in reality it should not be regarded as either one or the other. This fact ha.s been conclusively established as a result of a recent experiment, the results of which have proved so satisfactory as to revive the question as to whether the potato could not be profitably employed once more as a constituent of our stag of life. This development is doe to the latest achievements of the chemist and the engineer As a result of diligent study these two forces, working in combination, have perfected a new means o* combining the potato with the wheaten flour, and in sifch a manner as to bring about the improvement of the loaf. All the virtues accruing rora such use of the tuber are preserved, ®, defects are eliminated: consequently the desired end is achieved without wounding the susceptibilities of the most capricious of taste in any way. Not a Substitute or Adulterant to the Lonf.— This end has been achieved by the perfection of ways and means to convert the potato into Hour. This in itself is not new. It has been an established range ° r r- I D Jf QU !f' ciiaM * or man y years past in fiddle Europe, Japan, and. the United bt&tes. In the two last-named countries it has achieved a distinct vogu.e> under trie distinctive commercial name of Farina." !

While not used to a very pronounced ™ the production ■ of bread, Banna" plays a prominent part in the preparation of eucli auxiliary foodstuffs as bun-flour and custard powder. The industry ha? not hitherto secured a foothold m these islands, mainly from the reason that there has not been a sufficient surplus* of potatoes from the home crops to render any such scheme commercially attractive- J

But to-day the outlook is very different, lhe bumper 1918 potato harvest, after all normal needs have been met,' mil leave a substantial balance available for commercial exploitation. As a matter of fact, tne (jovenrment at one time arranged to set aside 2,000,000 tons of the year's crop to be converted into flour, although the original official scheme may now undergo distinct modification. Be that as it may the_ interests "which were intimately associated with the enterprise have decided to complete their original intentions. Factories are to be equipped with the requisite machinery to introduce and establish firmly the new industry in Britain. Potato Flour Manufacture in Britain.— Fundamentally the process is similar to that followed upon the Continent, in the East, and America, although it differs in detail, the improvements yielding a vastly superior product. Upon reaching the mill the are dumped into hoppers and are automatically borne to a washer to' be cleaned. Then they pass to a vessel to be partly cooked in their skins or jackets Another convcyor bears them to the machine where the process is completed so far as the first phase is concerned, iins machine comprises a nest of hollow steel rollers set closely together, the result being that as the potatoes pass between they are mangled and pressed into a thin homogeneous sheet, approximately equal in thickness to a sheet of tissue paper.

The rollers are internally heated bv eteam, with the result that as the crushed potato passes between them its cooking is completed and the pulp is dried. As the sheet is brought round by the final roller to which it adheres it is stripped bv means of suitable scrapers to fall in the form of small flakes into a trough, to be picked up by another automatic conveyor and carried to the bagging or packin« room. 1 n

By means of this treatment the moisture constituting about 75 per cent, of me original potato is expressed, the flake being dry and crisp, though white in colour. It -will he observed that the skin and other defective portions of the potato are subjected to the treatment. In . the liake form the potato may be kept for an indefinite period, it only being necessary to preserve it from damp. — Making the Wheaten Flour Go Farther.—

The flake is subsequently milled in,the ordinary manner, thereby being reduced to flour. In the milling process the naked skin and other defective parts are eliminated from the flour, but are recovered, this offal being of excellent vaJue for preparation as a constituent for compounded cattle foods.

The flour itself is of a yellowish carries only a very faint trace of the peculiarly distinctive aroma of the potato, and is attractive in appearance. In the milled form it may like?, -ise be kept for a prolonged period without suffering the slightest deterioration so long tig protoction against damp is extended. The writer has been ' eating bread the potato flour used in the preparation of which was milled a year ago. From tbe baker s point of view the flour holds out every inducement, as recent tests conclusively testified. In this instance the potato product was blended ■with regulation flour exclusively, in the proportion of 5 per cent, of the former to a sack—2Bolb—of the latter. In the first test the bread was hand-moulded. The sack produced 10? loaves, weighing, upon admission to the oven, 21b 3oz each, as compared with the 94 loaves of equivalent weight normally obtained from the sack at this bakery. "Under machine bread-making conditions, the conventional practice of the firm in question, the yield from the blended flour was slightly lower, being 101 loaves per sack, ' the loaves beforo -Giitcriiinj oven being of corresponding weight. Baking was carried out at a temperature of 560deg, the loaves scaling 21b 2oz

bare upon withdrawal from the oven, dropping to 21b net 15 hours after baking. Ihe resultant bread was declared by the experts present to leave little or nothing to be desired. From the public point of view the loaf was more attractive than the conventional article owing to its increased volume. It was of even texture and perfectly homogeneous throughout. —Five Per Cent. Potato, g5 Per Cent. Wheat.— Ihe circumstance that the potato flour is used in a dry condition, and so can be more completely blended with the wheaten flour enables this end to be achieved. Even in the hot condition the bread was free from all but a faint trace of the fragrance of the tuber—this entirely disappeared when the bread was cold,—while there was nothing of the potato palpable to the palate. The keepqualities are also noteworthy, two of the loaves baked on this occasion being rebaked and eaten a fortnight later, to be found totally free from sourness. Four days after baking the bread was found to be still moist and free from chaffiness. The success achieved on this occasion with the 5 per cent, addition of potato flour to the sack induced the experts to declare that the proportion might safely be increased to 7i per cent, without the public detecting the presence of the potato.

Even on the 5 per cent, basis the results must be declared as eminently satisfactory. Seeing that it requires five tons of potatoes to produce one ton of flour, it will be seen .that the last-named represents the tuber in a highly concentrated form; consequently 5 per cent. 141b—of potato flour per sack is equivalent to 701b of mashed potatoes, which is the form in which the addition ie generally made. — Saving 1,500,000 Sacks of Flow a Year.— Accordingly, in the flour form, the potato holds out great economic possibilities in the production of the nation's bread. During the year 1916 our consumption of flour totalled" 37,000,000 sacks, one-third of which represented imported white flour. Assuming that 30,000,000 sacks were devoted to the production of bread, the aggregate of loaves was approximately 2,820,000,000. Had potato flour been used to the extent of 5 per cent, it would have been possible to have cut down the foregoing consumption of the wheaten product by 1,500,000 sacks, without sacrificing a loaf, because on the higher average yield of 101 loaves from the sack of wheaten flour to which the potato product had been added we should have got 2,878,500,000 loaves. Moreover, seeing that the bread prepared from this blended flour 1b superior in every respect, including colour and appearance, two very vital factors, it is only reasonable to presume that by resorting to potato flour we might have dispensed with the imported white flour entirely.

Such action would have been of distinct; advantage to domestic endeavour. The one and a-half million sacks of flour which might have been saved would have reduced the stram upon our depleted shipping to the extent of 200,000 tons —Clamping Unnecessary.— There are other reasons, of equally vital economic importance, why we should consider favourably the wider commercial exploitation of the potato. It is the intention of the interests concerned to establish their mills in the centres of the potato-growing areas. By so doing they will not only establish a profitable rural industry, but they will prompt the farmer to devote enhanced attention to the cultivation of the tuber.

He will realise to the full the financial benefit which such practice must extend to him. He will also be encouraged to extract the nigh est maximum yield per acre from his ground, which must lead to the observance of the most recent developments in the science of agriculture.. From the fact that the milis wiii be on the spot he will receive all tite a- I .', vantages accruing from not being called upon to arrange for tie storage of his ctot> and its transportation to markets, v.-hicfi will tend to reduce the cost of production and to relieve the strain imposed upon labour to a very striking degree. The mills will be prepared to accept sae potatoes as they are dug. When the scheme is in perfect working order no farmer will be called upon to move his potatoes more than 10 miles—an easy distance under modern mechanical transportconditions. He will be relieved of the necessity to establish damns, opening and inspecting the latter at intervals and finally breaking them to satisfy the needs of the_ market. Such periodical handling appreciates the cost of the article more pronounceidly than may be imagined, while one must not forget that often the farmer is prevented from sending supplies to market at the critical moment from the prevalence of unfavourable weather. —Use for Diseased Potatoes. Under existing conditions the farmer is also faced wit-h the risk of suffering .financial loss from his crop deteriorating , ln t'h® clamp or from being so afflicted with disease as to preclude all possibuity of clamping. Under such conditions he is compelled to dispose of his crop, often at a ruinous price, when it is harvested.

But under the new scheme no such risks will prevail. Even should the crop be ravaged by disease he would not suffer disaster. The manufacture of flour represents merely one phase in the new range of activity. Potatoes unfit for human consumption will be treated to yield such valuable products as industrial alcohol even whisky, dextrine, and starch. ' The possibilities in connection with the last-named are incalculable. This was once a highly-flourishing and prosperousiiritish industry, but it was ruined by the Teuton and his bounty-fed methods of commerce. Lastly there comes the residue oi- offal, which, as investigations have proved, has a high dietetic value, and so can be profitably used in the blendine of compound foods for cattle

By means of the process which is to be followed less than 1 per cent, of the potato wall be lost. As a matter of fact it is quite possible, as the industry develops, that ways and means will be discovered to turn even this negligible fraction of waste to economic account. In this event the absolute commercial exploitation of the tuber will have been achieved, and its indispensability brought force t0 1116 communifc y compelling