Process for products from sweet potato

Abstract

A variety of different food products, prepared from tubers with light colored flesh varieties of the morning glory family, Convolvulacae, are substitutes for wheat and other grains, milk, eggs, and a partial substitute for nuts.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of Invention

The present invention is concerned with the utilization of tubers of the camote or boniato and all other plants producing light-fleshed tubers in the family Convolvulaceae, with the purpose of producing various flours from the tubers, and other valuable edible products and industrial products.

(2) Description of The Background

To increase the number of food products and forms of food products is of the greatest importance to persons with food allergies, and will become of even greater importance as food allergies are diagnosed in increasing numbers of people. As the potential problems of food allergies are more recognized, increasing numbers of people are looking for non-wheat items to include in their diets, to increase variety and aid in the prevention of food allergies.

Food allergies and intolerances have been known to exist for hundreds of years. The symptoms vary with each individual, and can include congestion, asthma, diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, joint pains, hives, eczema and in the most severe cases can cause anaphylaxis and even death. In recent decades, along with most other diseases related to the immune or auto-immune system, the incidence of food allergies has increased. In addition the number of foods to which a given individual reacts, and the severity of the reactions seems to be increasing. Indications are that food allergies/intolerances will continue to become increasingly more common and severe.

The need for new food sources and alternatives parallels the increase in food allergies. As the number of foods an individual can eat begins to dwindle, it becomes increasingly more difficult to maintain a nutritious, well-balanced diet from the foods remaining, and the search for new foods intensifies. For many food allergy patients, the allergy problem steadily becomes more severe as the patient is unable to avoid becoming malnurished.

There is, then, a real need for alternatives to the food products that are the common and accepted staples in the American diet. These food products need to be from hypoallergenic foods so they have the best chance of being well tolerated by the greatest numbers of people. The hypoallergenic food products need to provide acceptable substitutes for the most hyperallergenic food products--wheat, corn, and other members of the grass family, legumes, milk and milk products, eggs, nuts, and yeast.

The alternative food products should be from less common or less well known foods. Such foods will have been eaten less often, if at all, and there will be a lower chance for a person to have developed allergies to the new foods. Products from such uncommon foods could probably be tolerated by most persons, and the risk of developing allergies to the foods would be low.

The alternative food products need to be developed from foods in separate food families. This is important because food allergy patients can easily develop allergies to foods that are closely related to the foods they ar already allergic to. New food products from as many new food families as possible (for example sweet potato products from the morning glory family), are much more needed than are food products from uncommon foods in a common food family (such as millet from the grass family). Alternative food products from food families not frequently included in peoples' diets will increase substantially the foods that people can eat in their rotation diets.

The alternative food products need to be highly concentrated foods. The above list of hyperallergenic foods includes mos of the concentrated carbohydrates in the normal American diet. When people have to exclude these foods from their diets, the plant sources they have left to eat are primarily green leafy vegetables, tubers, and fruits. These food sources are high in fiber, but are relatively low in carbohydrates. A person who must rely on potatoes or sweet potatoes as their main source of carbohydrates, must eat about 5 pounds each day. It is very hard for many adults to eat this much food, but it is even more difficult for allergic children who may have to eat almost as much.

The alternative food products need to be as close to the eliminated foods as possible, in form and texture. For example, breads, pastas, cereal, cookies are needed from hypoallergenic sources, and these need to be as similar in taste and texture to their hyperallergenic counterparts as possible. This will make it possible for person to enjoy foods they are used to, and will make them more likely to stay on their diets. Also people who are concerned that they may have food allergies are more likely to seek medical treatment if they know they will have pleasant alternatives in their diets.

Alternative food products are needed that consist of one primary ingredient, and this ingredient serves to replace wheat and other grains, milk, eggs, nuts, yeast, and sugar. The food allergies of individuals vary so greatly, that as the number of ingredients in a product increases, the number of individuals that can use the product decreases. Similarly, the products need to be free of additives, preservatives, and so forth, and should be completely free of pesticides and other chemicals.

Other characteristics that are important in new food products include convenience, portability, and variety. Many patients must change their diets at a time when they are very ill, and they simply do not have the strength to perform the food preparation needed when working with fresh fruits and vegetables.

Until now there has been no alternative food product which could meet all of the above criteria. Many food products have been developed, but essentially all contain either wheat, or other grains, soy or legumes, milk, eggs, nuts, yeast, or sugar, or they don't have the characteristics of the common food products. Many specialty flours such as amaranth, have been combined with wheat flour to make new products, and these are not useful to the food allergic patient. Until now, there has been no attempt to completely replace wheat products with a non-grain flour source that also does not contain other main ingredients such as eggs, milk, sugar, and yeast.

The properties of flour and starch from orange sweet potatoes are well known, and have been reported in the patent literature as early as the 1840's. Dried, ground sweet potatoes were patented for use as an ingredient in a coffee blend (U.S. Pat. No. 100,587 issued in 1870) because dried orange sweet potatoes look and taste like burned bricks. The caroteen pigment concentrates during drying and causes the disagreeable taste and color. The other patented uses of orange sweet potato flour are limited, including: rehydratable powders primarily for sweet potato pie or pumpkin pies; adding pureed, cooked sweet potato pulp to various doughs to produce doughnuts and pastas. This is probably due to the strong taste of orange sweet potato powder, the fact that when rehydrated, orange sweet potato flour loses cohesion, and will not keep a shape or hold trapped air.

There appear to be no clear references to white sweet potato varieties in the patent literature, although there are numerous mentions of processes for combining cooked or raw starches or flours from starchy tubers with various ingredients. Sweet potatoes (probably orange varieties) are frequently used as examples of `other tubers`.

Previous products of white sweet potato flour were made by a high speed impact method which produced a flour of wide particle-size distribution, with the fibrous portions of the tuber remaining in the larger particle sizes, and rendering the flour unsuitably heavy and gritty. When screened, the large particles were removed; this produced a lighter and less gritty flour, but one poorly suited for producing breads and other products where consistency and lightness are important. In addition it has been found that previous shreds had a high moisture content that made them susceptible to spoilage during dehydration and produced inferior products that spoiled easily.

It has now been found that a flour having reduced moisture content, improved fiber utilization, and more uniform particle size distribution can be prepared that will have improved storage capability and will provide products of palatable consistency.

SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It is one object of the present invention to provide flours and advantageous processes for producing flours from the camote or boniato and all other light-fleshed tuberous varieties in the family Convolvulaceae. Throughout this application, the words `camote` and `boniato` will refer to the red or purple skinned varieties of the white or creamy fleshed sweet potato.

Another object of the present invention to provide advantageous processes of producing valuable edible products from the flours of all light-fleshed varieties in the family Convolvulaceae.

Another object of the present invention is to provide edible compositions of matter from the flour of all light-fleshed varieties of family, Convolvulaceae.

Another object of the present invention is to provide advantageous processes for producing substitutes for milk, milk-products, and milk containing products.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide advantageous processes for producing substitutes for products containing eggs.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide advantageous processes for producing substitutes for legumes and legume-containing products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide advantageous processes for producing substitutes for nut butter products and products containing nut butters.

Another object of the present invention is to provide advantageous processes for producing substitutes for wheat, other grains, legumes, eggs, milk, and yeast-containing products using white sweet potato flour as essentially the only ingredient.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide novel and advantageous processes for producing the following products with white sweet potato flour as the only ingredient other than water, oil, salt, and leavening agent: pastas, cereals, pancakes, bread, cakes, creamed cereals, cereal shreds, imitation nut butters, imitation mayonnaise, mashed potato substitutes, breads, bread crumbs, croutons, cookies, crackers, tortillas, chips, puffed chip-like products, corn bread, pie crust, pizza dough, dough-wrapped products, doughnuts, dumplings, hush puppies, pretzels, batter, milk, ice cream, milk shake, puddings, custards, light and heavy creams, condensed milk, muffins, waffles, french toast, crepes, sweet potato pie, and dry mixes for many products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide novel and advantageous processes for producing the following products with white sweet potato flour as a primary ingredient: pastas, cereals, pancakes, bread, cakes, creamed cereals, cereal shreds, imitation nut butters, imitation mayonnaise, mashed potato substitutes, breads, bread crumbs, croutons, cookies, crackers, tortillas, chips, puffed chip-like products, corn bread, pie crust, pizza dough, dough-wrapped products, doughnuts, dumplings, hush puppies, pretzels, batter, milk, ice cream, milk shake, puddings, custards, light and heavy creams, condensed milk, muffins, waffles, french toast, protein coating batter, crepes, sweet potato pie, and dry mixes for many products.

Another object of the present invention is to provide advantageous processes for producing infant formulas.

Another object of the present invention is to provide advantageous processes for producing pharmaceutical products that are more effective for allergy patients by the use of hypoallergenic flours such as white sweet potato flour as an inert ingredient.

Another object of the present invention is to provide advantageous processes for producing cosmetics containing white sweet potato powder as cosmetic base and facial powder, and other uses.

Briefly, these objects and other objects of the present invention as hereinafter will become more readily apparent can be attained by a plurality of method embodiments which employ a flour obtained from white sweet potato tubers to prepare a variety of different foodstuffs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The words white sweet potato as used in their patent application are entended to include all tubers with light colored flesh of the Convolulaceae family.

It has now been found that a flour from white sweet potatoes that is useful in the production of many food products can be made. Moreover the flour can be used in every way wheat flour is used, although the processes are totally different.

Because sweet potatoes are frequently well-tolerated by people with multiple food allergies, and would be a highly nutritious, hypo-allergenic food stuff, we carefully investigated sweet potatoes and found that the properties of the varieties commonly referred to as camote or boniato seemed to be significantly different from orange sweet potatoes. This sweet potato is about equal in length to the orange varieties, but is 3-4 times greater in diameter. The outside flesh is reddish-purple and tough. The inside flesh is creamy white and very hard. Although it tastes like a sweet potato, after cooking the flesh does not fall apart as the orange varieties do. This variety is not well known in the United States where it is used primarily by people from Central and South America in the traditional ways of their homelands. In these countries the fresh tuber is used in almost any way a fresh orange sweet potato or white potato is used--baked, fried, boiled, mashed. The camote are also processed for the starch which is used as a thickener.

In the work with sweet potatoes, flour was made from the process described below. We began product development by following recipes for wheat flour, and making substitutions according to standard formulas given in allergy cookbooks for egg and milk replacers. The result was resound failures. For example, the bread rose nicely, only to fall flat, and had a 1/4 to 1/2 inch gummy layer on the bottom, the early loaves of bread were about 23/4 inches high along the sides and 11/2 inches high in the center. Wheat-based processes could not be readily adapted for use with the new flour and were abandoned.

While a previous product of white sweet potato flour was made by soaking white sweet potato tubers in water between the peeling and drying steps, it has now been found that the soaking step can be eliminated thus eliminating spoilage problems during drying steps and producing a flour of lower moisture content. Furthermore it was found that eliminating a high impact grinding method, produced a more uniformly fine flour which incorporates a greater proportion of the plant fiber into the flour, thus greatly improving the ability of the doughs to hold a rise and produce consistently uniform products.

In the preferred embodiment, sweet potatoes are subjected to any preprocessing steps of washing, scrubbing, cutting, rinsing and the like, peeled by any techniques of the art, peeling while clean (not recycled) water is passinq over the tubers is perferred although sweet potatoes may also be processed unpeeled and with or without simultaneous washing and peeling, rinsing (in distilled water is preferred although may be omitted), comminuting, slicing, chopping or any other technique desired (although not necessary), preferably shredding; dehydrating the material by air drying (at any appropriate temperature, freeze drying, vacuum drying or any other technique or combination of techniques of the art, preferably air drying, and pulverizing by such techniques as to produce a moderately fine to fine flour (with a moisture content of less than 15%, preferably 2-5%) that incorporates 20% or more of the plant fiber, preferably uses 100% of the fibers, in other words, incorporates the entire tuber into the flour or other products produced. Although moderately fine or fine flours are desired, coarseness or fineness of the product is not critically important in most products.

In yet another embodiment the above process is repeated with the added step of partial or complete cooking of the white sweet potato by steam heating, boiling, baking or any other desired means, steam heating is preferred, either severally prior to or in combination with drying steps or any other step or steps in the process to produce a cooked or partially cooked flour product.

A cereal substance or constituent of cereal may be prepared from the dried shreds or particles of any shape of the sweet potato tuber, which are roasted, baked, toasted (with or without oil) by any desired conventional technique.

A particulate material which is useful as a cereal substitute for the likes of cream of wheat can be prepared by pulverizing dried white sweet potato tubers to particle sizes ranging from 0.3 inch to 0.02 inch, preferably 0.06 inch. The tuber may be peeled or unpeeled before processing; peeled tubers are preferred.

A bread product can be prepared from white sweet potato flour, water, and a small amount of salt (optional), oil (optional), and any conventional leavening agent in proportions ranging from 1:1/2 to 1:4, by weight, preferably 1:1.38 in processes of mixing at any desired speed, preferably a moderately high speed, shaping, and baking in any desired order or combinations of techniques common to the art. The white sweet potato bread is baked at temperatures ranging from 275.degree.-550.degree. F., preferably 425.degree. F., for 15-90 minutes, preferably 50 minutes. The bread may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In still another embodiment the bread product described above, and products such as corn bread, cookies, pancakes, muffins, and the like described in examples which follow may be used to prepare bread crumb and crouton-type and other similar products. Breads and the other products, in processes including but not limited to various orders and combinations of drying, toasting, coating, cutting, slicing, comminuting, and the like in steps conventional to the art may be used to produce bread crumb products with all possible uses of any other bread crumb products. These uses include but are not limited to: coating mixes for use alone or with batters, salad toppings, pie crusts, stuffings, and the like. They may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

By techniques in any desired order or combination of slicing, drying, roasting, toasting, baking, and the like, cubed products called croutons may be produced. These may be used on salads, soups, stews, stuffings, and any other ways croutons are used. The bread crumbs and croutons may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In another embodiment, a corn bread- like product can be prepared from white sweet potato flour, water, oil, and small amounts of salt (optional), sweeteners (optional), and any conventional leavening agent in proportions of flour, water and oil ranging from 1:6:1/3 to 1:1/2:0, by weight, preferably 1:11/2:1/24 with processes of mixing at any desired speed, preferably a moderately high speed, shaping, and baking in any desired order or combinations of techniques common to the art. The white sweet potato corn bread is baked at temperatures ranging from 275.degree.-550.degree. F., preferably 425.degree. F., for 15-90 minutes, preferably 50 minutes. When a liquid sweetener such as a honey is used, the proportions range from 1:6:2:1/3 to 1:1/2:0:0, preferably 1:1.2:0.2:0.04 of white sweet potato flour, water, honey, and oil. The corn bread-like product may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In another embodiment, a cake dough product can be prepared, in the method described above for corn bread by increasing ranges and preferred amounts: the amount of oil by 100%, increasing the amount of honey by 20%, and increasing the amount of baking powder by 25-50%. Alternatively, honey may be omitted. These doughs produce a baked cake-like product without added ingredients, although ingredients commonly used in the art may also be incorporated into the dough or added to the finished products. The cake may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In still another embodiment by the processes described for corn bread products, muffins may be produced. The range of ratios of flour, water, and oil are the same as for the corn bread product, with preferred proportions of 1:11/3:1/24.

In another embodiment, products the likes of pancakes, doughnuts, hush puppies, batter, crepes can be prepared from combinations of white sweet potato flour, water, oil, and small amounts of salt (optional), sweeteners (optional), and of any conventional leavening agent in proportions virtually identical to those for corn bread. The ranges of general proportions are identical with preferred proportions being 1:11/2:1/12. These products are mixed, molded, shaped, fried, and so forth as appropriate for the product. The pancakes, doughnuts, hush puppies, batter, and crepes may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In still another embodiment the above described pancake batter prepared as described earlier may be used as a pizza dough. In processes involving pouring the batter onto an appropriately shaped or sufficiently large surface, heating or baking in temperatures ranging from 375.degree.-525.degree. F., preferably 425.degree. F., until dough is almost done but still tacky on the top, about 10-30 minutes, preferably. Add any desired ingredients including but not limited to various meats, cheeses, vegetables, spices, and other materials common to the art. Although any ingredients may be used, hypoallergenic ingredients might include ground precooked venison and nopales. Bake until dough is completely done and ingredients thoroughly cooked, about 6-20 minutes.

Alternatively, the toppings described above may be placed on the batter before cooking begins.

Alternatively, the above dough may be thoroughly baked, toppings added, and pizza reheated.

Alternatively the dough described for pie crust may be used as a pizza dough. The dough is prepared as described in the example, the dough is rolled out to the desired length, width, and thichness, toppings of any kind are added and the mixture is baked at 350.degree. F. for 10-30 minutes.

In yet another emobdiment, a product such as dumplings can be prepared from white sweet potato flour, water, oil and a small amount of salt (optional), and any conventional leavening agent. Process for combining ingredients and preparation are as follows. Teaspoon sized portions of batter are dropped into rapidly boiling thickened water for 2-6 minutes, preferably 5 minutes.

In yet another embodiment, a product such as waffles can be prepared from white sweet potato flour, water, oil, and small amounts of salt (optional), sweeteners (optional), and any conventional leavening agent in proportions similar to those described previously for corn bread. The ranges of general proportions are identical to that for corn bread, with preferred proportions being 1:12/3:1/12. Processes of combining ingredients and batter preparation are as described for cornbread. Batter is then placed in waffle irons or other type of molds and heated by conventional means.

In another embodiment, a product such as french toast batter can be prepared from white sweet potato flour, water, oil, uncooked, proteinaceous material, and a small amount of salt (optional) in proportions ranging from 5:12:8:8 to 1/10:12:0:0 by weight, preferably 1:12:2:2 in processes of gelatinizing the flour and water mixture, combining with remaining ingredients and blending with high speed blending equipment until smooth and homogenous. Material to be coated and prepared for french toast is preferably white sweet potato bread, although any other bread or bread-like product may be used, and cooking is by any accepted technique. Alternatively batter may be prepared by the method above omitting the step of gelatinizing the flour-water mixture.

Alternatively, the proteinaceous material may be omitted, with the above proportions of flour and water remaining unchanged. The batter may be used alone, or in combinations with bread crumbs and any other coating materials. The batter may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In another embodiment, a product such as cookies can be prepared from white sweet potato flour, water, oil, small amounts of salt (optional), sweeteners (optional), and small amounts of any conventional leavening agents in proportions ranging from 4:1:0 to 0.5:1:2, by weight, preferably 1.8:1:0.9 in processes of mixing, kneading, shaping, baking to produce cookies. Baking conditions range from 275.degree.-500.degree. F., preferably 350.degree. F., and 2-40 minutes preferably 8-10 minutes.

Alternatively, when a liquid sweetener is used, the porportions are within the ranges described above, preferably 1:1.5:0.3 and 0.24 parts honey or other liquid sweetener per 1 part flour. Sweetener amounts may range from 0-1 part per 1 part flour.

Alternatively, add toppings as desired to the unbaked or baked dough. Any desired fruit, nuts, flavors, seasonings, sweeteners of the conventional art may be incorporated. The cookies may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In yet another embodiment, crackers may be produced in any suitable machine for mixing heavy doughs through processes involving combining flour, water, and oil in proportions ranging from 3:1:4 to 1/3:1:0, preferably 1:1:1/6 parts flour, water, and oil and small amounts of salt and leavening agents. In processes including but not limited to molding, rolling, cutting, and extruding, shape dough into desired cracker shapes. Dough may or may not be coated with a thin film of oil and salt. Any conventional heating method may be used, preferably 350.degree. F. for 20 minutes. The crackers may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In another embodiment of the invention a product such as tortillas or chips can be prepared by blending white sweet potato flour with water, and then baking or frying the appropriately shaped dough. In preparing the mixture a range from 1/2:1 to 2:1 amounts of flour and water are blended, preferably 0.9:1 flour and water. The dough may be cooked by any desired means including but not limited to frying with or without oil, and baking with or without a thin film of oil, following the conventions of the art.

In still another embodiment of the invention, a food product such as pie crust is prepared by blending white sweet potato flour and oil in relative amounts of 0.4:1 to 11/2:1 parts water per unit part flour, preferably 0.7:1 parts water per one part flour, and 0.1:1 to 1:1 parts oil per unit part flour, preferably 0.3 parts oil per one part flour. Once the blend is prepared, it is kneaded, shaped or molded and baked if desired at temperatures ranging from 275.degree. to 500.degree. F., preferably 350.degree. F. for from 2 to 45 minutes, preferably 10 minutes.

In yet another embodiment, doughs from processes described earlier for pie crust and pasta may be used to produce a puffed product by shaping the dough into flat, thin waters and frying the wafers in hot oil to produce a puffed or popped product. The dough may be shaped into a wafer or any other shape desired by combinations of extruding or other shaping means, rolling, cutting and other techniques in any order in any desired combination and fried. By this method shapes of a `chip` or `fry` may be obtained. Also long pieces may be shaped into a pretzel-like shapes an fried.

A puffed product may also be obtained when white sweet potato flour is combined with pureed, cooked white sweet potato. Although almost any desired combination may be used ranging from 5-100% flour, 0-95% cooked, and p, 0-50% water, the ratios for pie crust combined with an added 20% cooked pureed white sweet potato is preferred. Either of the above processes may be used to produce very small-sized 1/8"-1" wafers, flakes and granules which can be used as a cereal product. Although for hypoallergenic purposes the above is preferred, any combination of flours, other tubers, other powdered vegetable material, extenders, binders, fillers, adhesives, antioxidants, preservatives, sweeteners, flavorants, spices and the like may be used with the above process.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, pretzels may be prepared from the doughs described for tortillas, chips, and pie crusts in processes of shaping, optional salting, and various combinations of baking with or without a thin coat of oil, frying, broiling, steaming, drying common in the food art to produce a pretzels of desired sizes and shapes. Additional embodiments include the pretzels above to which have been added to dough before baking or to the outside surface before or after baking, a variety of fillers, extenders, binders, flavorings, seasonings, preservatives and the like common to the art.

In yet another embodiment, the thick dough produced by the processes described in the preparation of pie crust may be used to produce dough encased or wrapped food products. The kneaded, thoroughly mixed dough may be shaped by extruding, rolling, cutting, and any other convenient technique to produce a variety of shapes onto which pureed fruit, chopped meats, hot dogs, meat and vegetable combinations, cheese and the like may be placed. For example the thick dough may be shaped into 3.times.3.times.1/4 inch squares onto which a pureed fruit such as sapote or carambola, and any other unusual or common fruit, are placed. These may be baked, broiled, or fried as is or 2 squares may be placed together such that the fruit forms a middle or inside layer in a sandwich-type effect. This may be baked, broiled, or fried to produce a product or may be frozen for sale to the consumer as a frozen product.

In another example, conventional art may be used to completely encase fruit or meat and vegetable mixtures. The dough covered product which may have any shape, commonly an ovoid shape ranging from 1 inch to 6 inches in length may be baked, boiled, broiled, fried and so forth in any conventional means to produce good tasting, convenient foods.

The dough may also be used in pot pie-type products.

In another example, pureed or flaked meat may be combined with a small amount of imitation mayonnaise in approximate proportions of 2:1 and placed on a 6.times.6.times.1/4 inch dough square. The dough is rolled around the meat mixture to form a tamale-like shape. This product may be baked, broiled, fried, or frozen. If uncooked meats are used, the product should be cooked by means other than frying. The dough-wrapped products may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In another embodiment, white sweet potato flour may be combined with a vegetable oil such as sunflower oil, olive oil, or the like in an amount ranging from 1/2:1 to 4:1 parts by weight flour per part oil, preferably 1.8:lto which is added a gelatinized flour-water mixture which contains flour and water in proportion ranging from 1:1 to 1:30, preferably 1:6 to produce a white sweet potato nutbutter. The flour/oil mixture and flour/water mixture are combined in amounts by volume ranging from 20:4 to 20:0, preferably 20:1.

The flour may be combined with various ingredients to prepare a colloidal product having the consistency of mayonnaise. The mayonnaise-like product itself is rather bland in taste, and it takes on the flavoring characteristics of the material(s) blended with it in its end use - eg tuna fish, potato salads, sandwich meats. Flour, water, and oil are combined in ratios of 0.5-3:1-15:1-15, preferably in ratios of 1:9.5:5. The flour and .theta. to all of the water, preferably all of the water are combined and heated by any convention of the art to such temperature and for sufficient time to completely gelatinize the starch granules. This mixture in steps of cooling (optional) and high speed blending with any remaining water, oil, and starchy tuber to produce a colloidal product to which may be added any acid, such as lemon juice, citric acid, ascorbic acid, acetic acid and the like in amounts ranging from 0-2 parts acid to 1 part original flour used, about 0.6:1 is preferred.

The mayonnaise has the colloidal properties of mayonnaise, with no other added ingredients. This is not to preclude the use of other ingredients commonly used in the food art, including but not limited to eggs, milk, other flours and starches, sweeteners, flavors, seasonings, and spices of any kind.

The mayonnaise produced by the above process has the advantages of being able to be frozen and thawed without destroying or significantly altering the colloidal properties of the product.

In another embodiment of the invention custard-type products may be produced. When flour and water are combined in proportions ranging from 1:1 to 1:30, preferably 1:6, and heated with stirring until gelatinized to a thick paste-like glue and subjected to blending in high speed blending device with the addition of oils in proportions ranging from 0:1 to 3:1, preferably 1/3 part oil per 1 part original flour by weight, this process produces white, creamy fluids of various thicknesses with properties similar to evaporated milk, which when allowed to stand with or without cooling, will solidify to produce products with properties very similar to custards. These custard-type products may be used without modifications as custards. In another embodiment the fluids may be combined with vegetables such as peas, corn, and squash to form custards commonly called corn puddings and the like. The fluid may be combined with pureed vegetables such as corn, pumpkin, and squash to produce custard-like pies, and with fruits such as peaches, apricots, coconut, and bananas to form creamed pies and the like.

One of the advantages of these products is that they do not require further cooking to produce the "setting up" and when combined with precooked vegetables, etc. do not need additional baking or other heat treatments. The custards may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth, but they are not necessary to achieve the desired product.

In another embodiment of the invention, a product such as a pudding can be prepared by blending flour, water, oil, and pureed fresh white sweet potato paste in proportions ranging from 1/7:10:6 to 1/7:1/2:1/10, preferably about 1/7:2:1. The product is produced in processes where as a first process step the flour and from 10 to 100%, preferably 50% of the water are combined and heated by any convention of the art to produce a thick gelatinized paste. This paste is then combined with the remaining raw materials and blended to a smooth, homogenous, mixture by conventional mixing techniques. With the addition of no additional ingredients the product has a sweet, pleasant taste. However, this is in no way intended to preclude the use of other constituents commonly used in puddings including but not limited to any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

Alternatively, a pudding-type product may be prepared using flour and water only, in proportions ranging from 1:1 to 1:30, preferably 1:6. The ingredients are combined, heated by any conventional techniques until the mixture is completely gelatinized. Cool to between 30.degree.-0.degree. C., preferably 10.degree.-20.degree. C. until the consistency of pudding.

In still another embodiment, in processes as are described for pancakes; flour, water, oil, baking powder, and salt are combined in proportions preferably of 6:11:1:1/2:1/8, but ranging from 8:12:1:1:1/2 to 4:5:1:0:0 to produce a crepe-type product. The batter may be used by techniques known to the art in cooking and using the white sweet potato crepes. The may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In yet another embodiment, a sweet potato pie may be made entirely from sweet potatoes, water, flour, oil, and optional spices and sweeteners in proportions of about 6:6:1:1/4, in processes where part of the flour and water are cooked separately to produce an egg replacement agent and additional combinations of water, flour and oil are cooked and blended separately to form the light cream substitute, these two substitutes are then combined with the remaining ingredients to produce a sweet potato custard-type pie filling which is poured into a sweet potato pie crust. Temperature ranges from 250.degree. to 425.degree. F., with times of cooking ranging from 30 to 75 minutes. Preferably the pie is baked at 400.degree. F. for 20 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is bubbling. Filling may also be placed in precooked pie crust and served with no baking after filling has cooled and set up. Baking is actually unnecessary. The sweet potato pie may also be prepared with an desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In still another embodiment of the invention, when a given amount of white sweet potato flour is mixed with water of a temperature range from 0 to 150 degrees C., boiling water is preferred in proportions ranging from 1/2 to 4 parts of flour per part water, preferably 11/3 parts flour to one part water, a dough can be prepared, which, after maintaining a heating and kneading period of from 0 to 10 minutes, preferably 1 minute, followed by extruding, cutting and drying, prepares such products as noodles, pastas and the like. It is also possible to mix the batter prepared with baked camote or other farinaceous and mealy textured tubers and possibly other vegetable matter in the amounts to produce stiff doughs for gnocci, hard dumplings, and other pasta products. In another embodiment of the invention, a thick gelatinized paste of cooked white sweet potato flour and water comprised of preferably 1:6 parts flour and water, with acceptable ranges of 1:2-30, may be added to the above described dough mixture before extrusion to any desired pasta shapes, to produce substitutes for egg based pasta.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the pasta doughs described above, with or without the egg-substitute may be heated at temperatures above 50.degree. C. for 2-30 minutes, preferably 2-5 minutes at 95.degree. C. to gelatinize a part of all of the dough prior to extrusion.

The pastas thus described are dried by any conventional means, preferably air dried on trays to produce a final product.

In its final uses, this pasta does not swell significantly beyond its dried size, when cooked in boiling water and the like. This is due to the fiber content which has been retained in the flour. These fibers prevent the typical swelling and conversion to a jelly-like mass common to noodles from most pure starches. Thus these pasta products retain a form and consistency similar to wheat based noodle products. They may be used in all ways any other noodles are used.

In another food embodiment, the white sweet potato flour can be combined with water in a ratio of 12:1 to 3:1 parts by volume water per unit volume of flour, preferably 6:1 water to flour, and a small amount of a vegetable oil to produce a white sweet potato milk. Preferably half of the flour and water are combined (actual amounts may range from 10-80% flour and 25-100% water), heated by conventional methods until the mixture is completely gelatinized. The gelatinized mixture and remaining ingredients are combined, thoroughly mixed in a high speed blending device to produce a white sweet potato milk or other similar fluid mixtures.

In the above embodiment, flour of almost any particle size may be used ranging from very coarse to ver fine. The particle size is not important for that portion of the flour used for gelatinization, although fine flours are preferrable. A more finely divided flour product is desired for the flour that remains uncooked in the milk. The smaller the particle sizes, the better, preferably at least less than 0.001 inch. The milk produced from very fine flours does not require straining to yield a smooth homogenous product. Larger particle sizes produce a gritty product that must be strained before use. The larger the particle sizes, the greater proportion of white sweet potato flour that is removed by straining, and the more separation into layers that occurs on setting.

In another food embodiment, white sweet potato flour can be combined with water in proportions ranging from 1:1 to 30:1 parts by volume of water per unit of flour, preferably 3:1 water to flour for heavier creams and 6:1 for lighter creams, and a small amount of a vegetable oil. 50 to 100 per cent of the flour is combined, and heated until the mixture is completely gelatinized. The gelatinized mixture and remaining ingredients are combined, thoroughly mixed in a high speed blending device to produce substitutes for light to heavy creams and condensed milk.

In another embodiment of the invention, white sweet potato flour may be combined with water in amounts from 1:1/2 to 1:6, preferably 1:11/2, a small amount of oil, and crushed ice to prepare milk shake and ice cream-like products. From 1/4 to 3/4 of the flour, preferably 1/2 of the flour used is combined with water heated by any convenient means until thoroughly gelatinized, then combined with remaining flour, crushed ice, and a small amount of oil in a suitable blending device to produce a thick milk shake-like slurry product. The white sweet potato milk shake has a pleasant taste without further additions, but may also be flavored with any fruits, nuts, sweeteners, or other flavors to produce many flavors and blends. The milk shake product may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

In another embodiment the above milk shake-like product may be used in processes of freezing, pulverizing, in one or two freezing and pulverizing cycles, to produce a product blended to a creamy consistency of ice cream. The white sweet potato ice cream has a pleasant taste without further additions, but may also be flavored with any fruits, nuts, sweeteners, or other flavors to produce many flavors and blends. The ice cream product may also be prepared with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth. This product may also be used as an ingredient in more conventional ice cream preparations.

In other embodiments of the invention, the finely divided flour may be employed as a thickener, filler, or extender in the preparation of hypoallergenic cosmetics, and industrial products. For example, white sweet potato flour of fine particle sizes may be used in dusting powders and face powders. Various shades may be obtained by heating and toasting methods. This produces a face powder product which could be well tolerated because people would be only placing nonallergic items on their faces. Similar powders may also be used as bases for liquid and paste makeups to produce hypoallergenic products. The cosmetic preparations may also be prepared with any desired combinations of white sweet potato flour with conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, and so forth.

In another embodiment, the dried shreds from peeled or unpeeled, preferably peeled, cooked camote may be used to produce a shredded cereal product.

The flour from dried, cooked camote of various particle sizes may be coarsley ground to produce a creamed cereal product and finely ground to produce instant mashed sweet potato products. In final use, each product is combined with water in ratios of 1:2-10, preferably 1:5, heated for 2 to 10 minutes at temperatures from 75.degree. to 100.degree. C., preferably 100.degree. C. in processes of rehydration and heating.

The cooked white sweet potato flour may also be used in combination with the raw white sweet potato flour in many of the products and processes described previously, and may also be used with many other types of flours.

Yet another embodiment involves processes to produce a hypoallergenic infant formula. Many infants are unable to tolerate the currently available infant formulas. Infants unable to tolerate the grains, legumes, milk products. eggs, and grain-derived sugars listed earlier along with coconut oil are almost certainly going to be intolerant of all commercially available infant formulas. These infants are usually unable to tolerate breast milk because of allergies to digested food residues in the milk. The parents of these infants desperatel seek alternatives and usually end up using cooked purees of tubers and other foods. There is a real need for infant formulas without grains, grain-based sugars, legumes, milk and milk products, and coconut or corn oil. No truely hypoallergenic formula exists at present.

The earlier described process for producing white sweet potato milk, in which finely powdered, precooked, dried white sweet potato flour is substituted for the raw flour may be used to produce infant formulas. In one infant formula embodiment the just described formula is used without further modification in either full fluid form, condensed form, or dry powdered form as a hypoallergenic formula to which the user would add pureed, cooked protein in the amount of about 2.5 g protein per quart of fluid, and 40 g of fat per quart of fluid fully reconstituted. This would be ideal for many infants since the protein and fat sources could be varied by the parents according to the physician's instructions and specific allergies of the infant. This would assure the broadest tolerance of the formula.

The above formula would need very little in the way of vitamins and minerals to match the properties of human milk, as shown in the chart below:

______________________________________ wsp wsp milkSelected Human milk w/ added fat + pro amountsvalues milk (approximate values) needed______________________________________Ca (mg) 150 37.8 39 111P (mg) 64 50.5 80.2Fe (mg) 0.5 1.4 1.66Na (mg) 73 114.2 124.9K (mg) 231 354.5 392.7A (IU) 1090 as requiredD (IU) 21 as requiredE (IU) 6 as requiredB-1 (mg) 0.06 0.04 0.07B-2 (mg) 0.16 0.08 0.14 0.02B-3 (mg) 0.8 0.8 1.55C (mg) 21 28.4 28.4Mg (mg) 18 63.1 67______________________________________ The tubers such as white sweet potatoes are highly nutritious in vitamins and minerals, and the white variety does not have the problems of excessively high vitamin A levels as does the orange sweet potato variety and is therefore an excellent choice for hypoallergenic formulas.

In another embodiment of the invention, a more complete infant may be obtained by adding the previously described amounts of protein and carbohydrates to the above described formulas. Any protein and fat source is included in the embodiment as part of the product and process, preferably for hypoallergenic purposes beef, milk, pork, eggs, lamb, goat, and legume sources would not be used, obscure protein sources such as venison, rabbit, even fish are much more suitable, as fat source sunflower oil is preferred although any oil or other desired fat source can be used. By conventions of the art formula available as ready-to-feed, liquid concentrate, and dry powder, and any other form are included in the embodiment.

Many variations in the above formula by varying amounts of oil, water, white sweet potato, cooked versus uncooked flours, added ingredients and so forth, all are hereby included in the embodiment. The infant formula may also be prepared with white sweet potato flour and combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth. These are hereby included in the embodiments.

In another embodiment, white sweet potato flour may be used in a wide variety of pharmaceutical products as a hypoallergenic filler, extender, and inert ingredient. The use of a hypoallergenic material for these purposes would eliminate allergic reactions that food allergic patients may have to the nonactive ingredients, would thereby enhance the number of persons who tolerate the drugs and could help the medications to be more effective for the allergic patient.

Finally, to promote complete utilization of the entire white sweet potato tuber, the white sweet potato may be used in processes to produce animal feed products. An animal feed is prepared by drying the peels of white sweet potatoes (entire tuber if desired) by any of various methods, and then the peels are comminuted to a particle size ranging from 1/2-1/4 inch to a powder by any conventional means desired. The comminuted material is then combined with from 2 to 40% of any suitable fatty material, 0-8% of any suitable protein source, and with vitamins and minerals added as desired. The substance obtained may be used directly as an animal feed, in ratios ranging from 5:1 to 1:100 with other animal feed products, preferably 1:5. Alternatively, the above white sweet potato product may be combined with the remainder of the sweet potato plant, ie, dried comminuted leaves and vines to produce a feed.

Many of the products described above are well suited for the preparation of packaged dry mixes, frozen products and the like, all such products and processes are incorporated with this embodiment.

As is evident from the above discussion, the central objective of the present invention is to provide a variety of different foodstuffs, the basis for all of which is a tuberous plant, which is well tolerated by many persons with multiple allergies, hence the term hypoallergenic. Thus, insofar as the flour obtained from the tuber is mixed with other ingredients which do not detrimentally affect the hypoallergenic propertie of the food product obtained, hypoallergenic foodstuffs of different sorts can be obtained by the techniques described above. On the other hand, it is recognized that other ingredients can be added to the flour used in the present invention which may destroy the hypoallergenic nature of the food-stuff being produced, but yet which produce useful foodstuffs of still different qualities. The present invention also embraces these hyperallergenic foodstuffs, and therefore the present invention is not limited to just hypoallergenic foodstuffs.

Having generally described this invention, a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.

EXAMPLE 1

White Sweet Potato Bread

Place 453 g white sweet potato flour in a suitable conventional mixing device. Slowly add 623 g water and 3.25 g salt while mixing at lowest speed. When well blended mix, at highest speed for about 1 minute. Stir in 47 g baking powder; then mix at high speed for 15 seconds. As fast as possible pour into baking pan. Carefully place in oven heated to 425.degree. F. and bake for 50 minutes. The amount of water needed varies with the moisture content and particle size of the flour. More coarse flour and/or flour with a lower moisture content will require more water. The resultant white sweet potato bread product may be used in any way wheat bread is used.

EXAMPLE 2

White Sweet Potato Imitation Corn Bread

Ingredients: 304.8 g white sweet potato flour, 453 g water, 23.6 g white sweet potato baking powder, 6.5 g salt, 12.5 g oil. Combine above ingredients with baking powder added last; mix well, at highest speed with conventional mixing equipment until well blended and uniform consistency, about 1 minute. Transfer quickly into suitable baking container and bake 20-25 minutes at 425.degree. F.

Alternatively, the following proportions may be used in an imitation corn bread with honey or other liquid sweetener: 343 g white sweet potato flour, 396.4 g water, 6.5 g salt, 75 g honey, 23.6 g white sweet potato baking powder, 12.5 g oil.

EXAMPLE 3

Cake Dough

343 g white sweet potato flour, 396.4 g water, 90 g honey, 35 g oil, 35.4 g suitable leavening agent, may be combined in the processes described in Example 2. Dough may be baked as described in Example 2, prior to baking or after, the cake dough may be prepared or finished with any desired combinations of conventional ingredients including but not limited to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, nuts, and so forth.

EXAMPLE 4

White Sweet Potato Muffins

Combine 343 g white sweet potato flour, 453 g water, 6.5 g salt, 12.5 g oil, 23.6 g white sweet potato baking powder and mix well, at high speed with conventional techniques of the art until smooth and well blended. Add 23.6 g baking powder and mix well. Pour quickly or transfer by other means into suitable baking equipment. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425.degree. F.

EXAMPLE 5

White Sweet Potato Pancakes

The following ingredients: 304.8 g white sweet potato flour, 453 g water, 6.5 g salt, 50 g oil, 23.6 g white sweet potato baking powder, are combined and mixed well on highest speed, preferably 1-2 minutes in high speed blending device. Batter may be transferred to suitable baking or frying device, device to be prepared as required by the art, preheated on medium-high heat. Dough ma be cooked in sizes ranging from dot sizes to several feet across. Turn when top surface has turned dull and the bottom surface is golden brown in color.

When honey or other liquid sweetener is used, the ingredients: 304.8 g white sweet potato flour, 453 g water, 6.5 g salt, 75 g honey, 50 g oil, 23.6 g white sweet potato baking powder, may be used in the process described above.

EXAMPLE 6

WHITE SWEET POTATO PANCAKE MIX

To provide an example of a dry mix-type product, white sweet potato pancake mix is used. A white sweet potato pancake mix product can be made by combining ingredients: 453 g flour, 8.7 g salt, and 10.7 g white sweet potato baking powder. Mix ingredients well in a rolling ball mill or other conventional means to form a dry mix. Pancakes can be made from this dry mix by the addition of water and water/oil mixtures.

Alternatively, by conventions of the art, the pancake mix oils may also be added to the above ingredient mix to produce a dry mix that contains oils. Also, sweeteners, flavors, seasonings, binders, fillers, and so forth may be utilized in the production of white sweet potato pancake mixes.

EXAMPLE 7

Pizza Dough

The batters described in Example 5 may also be used as a pizza dough. Prepare batter as described above, pour dough onto pizza pan. Place in oven and bake at 425 degrees until dough is almost done but still tacky on the top, about 20 minutes. Add any desired ingredients various meats, vegetables, spices, and other materials common to the art. Bake until dough is completely done and ingredients thoroughly cooked, about 10 minutes.

Alternatively, the topping can be placed on the batter before cooking begins, or after cooking ends. Alternatively, the dough described for pie crust, Example 15, may be used as a pizza dough The dough is prepared as described in the example, the dough is rolled out to the desired length, width, and thickness, toppings of any kind are added and the mixture is baked at 350.degree. F. for 10-30 minutes

EXAMPLE 8

White Sweet Potato Waffles

The following ingredients are combined by the method described above in Example 5: 304.8 g white sweet potato flour, 509.6 g water, 6.5 g salt, 50 g oil, 3.6 g white sweet potato baking powder. Pour batter into waffle iron or other suitable molding or shaping device preheated to 300.degree.-500.degree. F. Watch for steam coming from the waffle iron as the waffles cook. Leave waffle iron closed as long as steam can be seen rising from the waffle iron. When steam stops, all water has been baked out of the batter and waffles are done, 5-10 minutes or more. When done the waffles should be golden brown in color.

EXAMPLE 9

White Sweet Potato French Toast

Combine 19.5 g flour, 3.25 g salt, and 226.5 g water and mix until smooth and homogenous. Heat by any desired convention until mixture is well gelatinized and thickened. Stir in 50 g oil. Pour mixture into high speed blending device; while blending at high speed, slowly drop in ground meat or other protein source and blend until meat is completely pulverized and liquefied or combine 19.5 g flour and 226.5 g water. Heat by any desired convention until mixture is well gelatinized an thickened. Let cool.

Coat pieces of white sweet potato bread. Fry to slightly browned and crusty in lightly greased griddle or skillet preheated to medium high. Alternatively french toast batter may be prepared by the method as described above without cooking the flour/water mixture.

French toast batter may be used for many combinations with white sweet potato bread crumbs and many other coating materials or alone.

EXAMPLE 10

White Sweet Potato Cookies

Combine and mix well by the conventional art: 304.8 g white sweet potato flour, 170 g water, 1.6 g salt, 150 g oil, 12 g white sweet potato baking powder. Form into cookie shapes by the conventional art. Bake at 350 F on ungreased surface for 8-10 minutes, or until a light golden brown on the underside. Alternatively, add toppings as desired to the unbaked or baked dough. Any desired fruit, nut, flavors, seasonings of the conventional art may also be used.

When a liquid sweetener or honey is used, the following ingredients are combined as described above: 304.8 g white sweet potato flour, 453 g water, 1.6 g salt, 75 g honey, 100 g oil, 12 g white sweet potato baking powder.

EXAMPLE 11

White Sweet Potato Doughnuts, Pretzels, Hush Puppies, Doughnut Holes

From batter prepared in the method of Example 5, extrude batter through a doughnut press or any other desired device in rings onto hot oil; batter may also be dropped in balls, long pieces, even pretzel shapes. Temperature of the oil should be about 300-500 degrees.

If the oil is hot enough the dough will float at the top of the oil. Fry doughnuts or other shapes until golden brown on all sides. Remove from oil, drain. Serve plain or top with fruit, honey, nuts, coconut, peanut butter, etc.

Alternatively, doughnuts may be prepartions of conventional ingredients including but not limited: to other flours, extenders, binders, fillers, preserving agents, falvorings, seasonings, eggs, milk, and so forth.

EXAMPLE 12

White Sweet Potato Dumplings

Combine 152.4 g white sweet potato flour, 226.5 g water, 4.9 g salt, 12 g white sweet potato baking powder until smooth and creamy. Let dough set for about 15 minutes. Drop teaspoon-sized portions of batter into about 2 liters of rapidly boiling water or broth, may be thickened. Allow to remain in boiling water 2-6 minutes, preferably 5 minutes. If dumplings remain in boiling broth longer, dumplings will dissolve. When done, dumplings will be light and tender on the inside.

EXAMPLE 13

White Sweet Potato Batter

A batter prepared by the method of Example 5 may be used as batter for deep frying and for fondue cooking techniques. Coat vegetables, fruit, or cooked meat in batter and deep fry in hot oil (preheated to medium-high heat). If the oil is hot enough the dough should float at the top of the oil. Test for proper temperature with a small ball of dough.

EXAMPLE 14

Crepes

In yet another embodiment of the batter prepared in Example 5, the batter may be used to make a crepe-like product. The batter may be diluted by the addition of 10-400 g water, preferably 100 g to make a crepe-like product. The batter is spread in very thin layers on a cooking surface, and prepared according to the accepted convention.

EXAMPLE 15

White Sweet Potato Pie Crust

Mix thoroughly, 152.4 g white sweet potato flour, 50 g oil, 113.25 g boiling water. Shape into round, flat dough ball. By any conventional means, shape into appropriate dimensions for pie crust. Preferably, place between cellophane or wax paper sheets before rolling out dough. This dough is also very well suited to shaping in a mold; it can be reshaped many times without becoming hard and leathery.

White sweet potato pie crust may be used as a double or single crust pie, with any type of filling, including meat (eg, chicken pot pie) or fruit filling. May be used baked or unbaked. For a baked pie crust, bake for 10 minutes at 350 F.

Although above ingredients are preferred, white sweet potato flour may be used with shortening or lard and any other conventional ingredients. For example, when using lard, use about 100 g and decrease water to 10-14 g. Dough will seem stiff and hard, but will be just right after baking.

EXAMPLE 16

White Sweet potato Tortillas, Chips

Mix 152.4 g white sweet potato flour with 170 g water; knead until well blended and very thick. By any desired conventional means achieve the shapes and sizes of tortillas or chips. May be fried with or without oil, or baked. When fried without oil, heat on medium high heat until slightly browned on both sides; turn as needed. When fried in hot oil, fry until crisp. Alternatively, bake by conventional means until crisp.

EXAMPLE 17

Pretzels

Doughs produced by the processes described in Examples 15 and 16 may be used in processes of shaping to form pretzels of various sizes, coating with oil (optional), cooking by various processes of the art including but not limited to baking, frying, and drying to produce pretzels of varying sizes.

In alternative processes, pretzels may be produced in processes above into which are incorporated any combinations of processes including but not limited to additional flours, eggs, milk, flavorings, seasonings, binders, fillers, extenders, and preserving agents.

EXAMPLE 18

White Sweet Potato Imitation Nut Butter

453 grams of white sweet potato flour are placed into any blending equipment suitable for mixing very thick doughs at very high speeds, to which is added 200-250 g edible fatty material, such as vegetable oils (preferred for hypoallergenic products) but could also include other fatty materials add to this a paste made of 4.7 g flour 28.4 g water that has been cooked. The materials are intimately mixed for about 2 minutes or until the entire mixture is well blended, and the consistency of peanut butter.

EXAMPLE 19

White Sweet Potato Imitation Mayonnaise

Combine 47.6 g white sweet potato flour, 6.5 g salt, and 113.25 g cold water until well blended. Add slowly to 340 g boiling water, stirring constantly. Continue stirring, while maintaining temperature at 50.degree. to 150.degree. C., until mixture is completely gelatinized and thickened cool to about 50 F. Place mixture in conventional high speed blending device; add 200 g, (optional: 21.3 g lemon juice, vinegar, or ascorbic acid solution). Mix materials on highest speed until well blended, smooth, and uniform consistency. Mayonnaise will thicken as it cools.

EXAMPLE 20

White Sweet Potato Milk

Combine 453 g water and 76.2 g white sweet potato flour, mix thoroughly. Stirring constantly, heat until well gelatinized, thick, and well blended. Blend together an additional 453 g water, 76.2 g very finely pulverized white sweet potato flour, and 37.5 g oil in any high speed blending device Add in the cooked flour mixture. Blend 1-30 minutes at highest speeds, preferrably 4 minutes. May be strained if flour not sufficiently fine.

EXAMPLE 21

White Sweet Potato Milk Shake

Combine 76.2 g flour and 226.5 g water in suitable mixing and heating apparatus. As mixture approaches boiling point, increase revolutions per minute. Continue rapid stirring while boiling for about 5 minutes. When thoroughly gelatinized, very thick, and smooth, cool to 50 F or lower, preferably 35 F. In high speed blending device, combine gelatinized mixture, 12.5 g oil, 76.2 g white sweet potato flour, and 226.5 g crushed ice. Blend well at speeds high enough to partially freeze mixture as ice particles become crushed and fine to form a thick slurry the consistency of a milk shake.

The above milk shake-like product without further embodiments has a very pleasant taste, although any desired combination of fruits, nuts, sweeteners, flavorings, seasonings, spices, fillers, extenders, binders, and so forth may also be added to the product.

Alternatively, the milk shake-like product may be formed by 152.4 g flour, 453 g water and 12.5 g oil (1/2 water and flour still cooked as described above) under conditions of simultaneous freezing and mixing to form a milk shake-like slurry without adding crushed ice. Similarly other methods of the art may be used to produce the frozen slurry.

EXAMPLE 22

White Sweet Potato Ice Cream

The milk shake-like product described in example 21 may be used as a base for ice cream products. The above slurry is subjected to freezing from 32.degree. F. to -30.degree. F. or lower, preferably--20.degree.-0.degree. F., until product attains this temperature. Frozen mixture is then pulverized, and placed in high speed blending equipment and blended at highest speeds until well mixed, smooth, and creamy. Freezing, pulverizing and mixing cycles may be repeated as desired, 2 such cycles are preferred. Additional embodiments described in Example 21 may also be used in this example.

EXAMPLE 23

White Sweet Potato Noodles

Using conventional equipment for kneading thick dough, combine 453 g flour amd 340 g boiling water. Knead well until dough is well mixed and forms soft doughy clumps. Extrude to various shapes of macaroni, fettucine, spaghetti, lasagna and the like. Cut to desired lengths, dry by any conventional means, preferably air drying on trays, conveyors or the like. Dough may be used to make any pasta product common in the art including but not limited to ravioli, Chinese-style meat filled noodle dumplings, and other meat-filled products.

Alternatively a small amount of flour and water, preferably 20 g white sweet potato flour and 120 g water may be cooked to a thick paste and added to the above mixture.

In another alternative process, prior to extruding, the flour mixture described above which may or may not be simultaneously kneaded, may be maintained at temperatures above 50.degree. C. for 2-30 minutes, preferably 2-5 minutes at 95.degree. C. to gelatinize part of all of the dough.

When cooking, immerse noodles in boiling water for 2-10 minutes depending on width of noodles. Any other cooking techniques of the art may also be used. Noodles will change from off-white opaque to light brown as the starch granules gelatinize. Noodles may be used in any type pasta dish--soups, stews, pasta and sauce dishes, and the like.

EXAMPLE 24

White Sweet Potato Crackers

In any suitable machine for mixing heavy doughs, combine 453 g white sweet potato flour, 453 g water, 3.25 g salt, 75 g oil, and 23.6 g baking powder. By any conventional means, including but not limited to molding, rolling, cutting, extruding, and the like, shape into desired shapes Coat with a very thin film of oil, sprinkling with salt. Heat to 350 F for 20 minutes. Otherwise, cook by any convention of the art, including baking, frying and the like.

Alternatively, omit oil, or oil and salt, increasing water by 30 grams.

Alternatively, use binders, flours, sweeteners, extenders, flavorings, seasonings, fillers and other ingredients common to the art to produce a hyperallergenic cracker.

EXAMPLE 25

Pudding

Combine equal parts by volume of cooked, mashed white sweet potato and water, using 1 liter of each. The method of cooking and pureeing may be by any conventional means including but not limited to steam heat, boiling and pressure cooking. The preferred method involves subjecting the peeled or unpeeled raw tubers, peeled tubers are preferred, to application of steam until all starch particles are gelatinized. The gelatinized tubers are comminuted to a thick paste by any conventional means. Separately 152.4 g white sweet potato flour is combined with 1 Kg water and heated to boiling point for 5 minutes to produce a thick gelatinized paste. The gelatinized paste is combined with the cooked tuber paste by any conventional mixing technique until well blended. The mixture is the consistency of pudding, and with the addition of no other ingredients has a pleasant, sweet taste. This is not to preclude the use of other ingredients commonly used as ingredients in pudding such as eggs, milk, conventional flours, oil, sweeteners, flavorants, spices, seasonings, of any kind in this invention.

Pudding can also be made by combining 453 g water and 76.2 g flour in suitable heating apparatus. As mixture reaches boiling stir constantly. When thoroughly gelatinized, very thick, put in high speed bleeding device and mix on high for 5 minutes. Add 25 g oil and mix again. Cool almost to freezing.

EXAMPLE 26

Sweet Potato Pie

1. Using the method described in Example 15, make a sweet potato pie crust and place it in any appropriate container for baking.

2. Combine 76.2 g white sweet potato flour and 453 g water, heat the resultant mixture by any conventional means with stirring until the mixture is very thick and completely gelatinized Place in high speed blending device and blend at highest setting for at least 5 minutes. Add 2T oil and blend again for 1-2 minutes. 3. Combine 19.05 g white sweet potato flour and 113.25 g water, heat the resultant mixture by any conventional means with stirring until the mixture is very thick and completely gelatinized Combine this thick mixture with the following 500 mls cooked white or orange sweet potato puree, 188 mls any honey (optional)--dry sweeteners are also an optional ingredient, 3.25 g salt, seasonings: 4 g ground cinnamon, 2 g ginger, 1 g cloves (seasonings optional), 420 ml of the mixture obtained in step 1. Mix together by any conventional means. 4. Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust. Baking temperature and times may vary from no baking to 425.degree. F. for 11/2 hours. Preferably, bake at 350.degree.-425.degree. F. just until filling bubbles and crust is browned. Alternatively custard will form on standing and no baking is required, thus, mixture from step 3 may also be placed in baked pie shell and cooled with no baking step. Also, repeated freezing--thawing cycles do not affect the quality of the pie filling.

EXAMPLE 27

White Sweet Potato Flour

Peel white sweet potatoes under running water, also removing any spots, undesirable areas, then free of excess water, dip briefly in distilled water, again remove excess do not soak Shred to desired size, place on glass or metal trays; air dry at 145.degree. F. for 8-12 hours, preferably 10. Pulverize shreds with any desired technique that utilizes 25% or more of the fiber, 100% utilization is preferred.

EXAMPLE 28

Cooked White Sweet Potato Flour

The method of example 28 is used to produce a cooked flour product, with the added process of heating the white sweet potato tuber with steam until gelatinized, and then proceeding with shredding and drying steps.

Having now fully described the invention, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that man changes and modifications can be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth herein.

Claims

1. A non-grain edible flour of the white sweet potato of family Convolvulacease wherein the flour consists of the entire white sweet potato, including all of the flesh and fiber portions of said white sweet potato, comminuted to a size so that said white sweet potato will pass through a screen of 0.02 inch mesh, said flour having a moisture content of less than 20% by weight.

2. An edible flour of the white sweet potato of family Convoluvulaceae having a particle size of less than 0.02 inch mesh and a moisture content of less than 20% by weight, said flour porduced by the process consisting essentially of:

shredding and drying whole white sweet potato,

comminuting the entire dried white sweet potato of the previous step, including substantially all of the flesh and fiber portions of the white sweet potato, to asize that the entire white sweet potato will pass through a screen of 0.02 inch mesh, and recovering an edible flour of said white sweet potato having a moisture content of less than 20% by weight.

3. The flour of claim 2 wherein the white sweet potatoes are peeled prior to the step of shredding and drying.

4. A non-grain edible white sweet potato flour possessing the ability to maintain a risen structure in the absence of grain flour, legume flour, or added fiber, said non-grain edible flour consisting of the communited particles of the whtie sweet potato of family convolvulaceae including substantially all of the flesh and fiber of said white sweet potato, communited to a size so that all of said particles pass through a screen of 0.02 inch mesh, wherein said flour has a moisture content of less than 20% by weight.

5. The flour of claim 4 wherein the white sweet potato flour passes through a screen of 0.001 inch mesh.

6. The flour of claim 4, wherein the white sweet potato flour is uncooked.

7. The flour of claim 4, wherein the white sweet potato flour is at least partially gelatinized.

8. A milk substitute consisting essentially of white sweet potato flour and water, and wherein the white sweet potato flour consists of the flour of claim 4, and wherein the flour and water ate present in proportions of 1:1 to 1:30 parts by weight flour per weight of water.

9. An ice cream substitute formed by a process consisting essentially of the steps of freezing the milk substitute of claim 8.

10. An imitation nut butter product consisting essentially of white sweet potato flour and oil and wherein the sweet potato flour consists of the flour of claim 4.

11. An infant formula consisting essentially of white sweet potato flour and water, wherein the white sweet potato flour consists of the flour of claim 4.

12. A baked product consisting essentially of white sweet potato flour, water, and leavening agent, wherein the the white sweet potato flour consists of the flour of claim 4, and wherein the flour is present in an an amount of 0.5-4 parts by weight per weight of flour.

13. An extruded product consisting essentially of white sweet potato flour, and water, wherein the white sweet potato flour consists of the flour of claim 4.

14. A colloidal product consisting essentially of white sweet potato flour, oil, and water, wherein the white sweet potato flour consists of the flour of claim 4, and wherein the flour is present in an amount of 0.1-3 parts by weight, and the oil and water are each present in an amount of 1-5 parts by weight which may be the same or different.

15. A fried product consisting essentially of white sweet potato flour, oil, and water wherein the white sweet potato flour consists of the flour of claim 4.

16. A batter product consisting essentially of white potato flour, oil, and water, wherein the white sweet potato flour consists of the flour of claim 4, and wherein the flour is present in an amount of 1 part of weight, and the water is present in an amount of 0.5-6 parts by weight, and the oil is present in an amount of 0-1/3 part by weight.