The sweet potato has many different varieties. The most familiar variety is the one where the meat is orange. The less familiar variety is the sweet potato that has white flesh inside and a purple skin on the outside. This potato is healthier than the usual starchy potato that is grown and sold in The Netherlands. The white flesh sweet potato is full of nutrients, fibers and has a low amount of carbon hydrates. The potato also contains a lot of water which makes it into a Superfood for people who are on a diet or just want to eat good but healthy food. It also contains lots of Vitamine A.
The white flesh sweet potatoes from Brazil weigh on average 400 grams per potato. This is a lot more than what each potato usually weighs from other countries. (200gr-250gr). Therefor the sizes that come out of Brazil are usually Medium/Large and Extra Large. Size medium starts with the 400gram per potato.
The branches of the potato plant are planted in the ground during spring and around a 100 days later the potatoes can be harvested. The best temperature for the potato to grow in is 24 degrees Celsius and since it’s like this almost always in some parts of Brazil the sweet potato is able to grow all year long. When the potatoes are being harvested a machine goes through the dirt to push the potatoes with the loose dirt upwards.
People wearing gloves can then easily pick up the potatoes from the surface of the loose dirt. The workers are wearing gloves to preserver the purple color on the outside of the white flesh sweet potato. After harvesting the potato will be stored for a few days in a warm place (30 degrees Celsius) to enrich the taste of the sweet potato. When the potato is ready for export it will be stored in dry containers which will have their temperatures set on 14 degrees Celsius.
For more information:
Ayres Wehrmeister Junior
Agrifood B.V.
Phone + 31 (0) 10 3048479
www.agrifoods.nl