Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service
Phagwara, January 3
Ever heard of biscuits made out of potatoes? You can taste them at a stall set up by Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) at the five-day Pride of India Expo organised by the Indian Science Congress at Lovely Professional University (LPU) on Thursday.
Munch them and they taste as delicious as the ones manufactured out of maida by any good bakery in the town. Not just biscuits, the CPRI staff have also put up stalls of noodles, semolina and porridge, all made out of potatoes.
“Cook them like any normal noodles, suji and dalia and get almost same nutrition,” said Yogesh Gupta, senior technical officer, CPRI.
CPRI officials said while potato farmers across the region were raising a hue and cry over low prices offered to them in the market because of the lopsided demand-supply issue, it could be easily overcome if the farmers start setting up potato processing plants using the technology which they were offering.
Gupta said, “We also have a technology for dehydrating cubes of potatoes, which can be soaked in water when required. They attain their normal size and weight soon.”
Experts shared an added advantage of their product, “Noodles, porridge and semolina made out of potatoes is gluten-free. Owing to the increasing incidents of wheat allergy, these products already have a huge market.