Camote-based snackfoods developed by Cordillerans

Ever heard of "camberry"? And "camango"? "Cmarind", too?

These are camote-based snackfoods made of sweet potato tubers blended with popular and luscious fruits.

"Camberry," for instance, is a candy made of camote blended with strawberry. "Camango" is camote and mango candy. "Camarind" is camote and tamarind.

A recent product developed is camote blended with pineapple.

These snackfoods have been produced under a program that aims to push the development of a sweet potato snackfood processing enterprise, reported Grace Bengwayan of the Benguet State University (BSU) in La Trinidad, Benguet.

Taking the lead is the BSU-based Northern Philippines Root Crop Research and Training Center (NPRCRTC) in partnership with the User’s Perspective with Agricultural Research and Development (UPWARD).

Initially, the NPRCRTC trained housewives to process camote into snackfood. Innovations on the technology, particularly its formulation, was modified by the processors, thus the endeavor was participatory.

Jocelyn Perez of the NPRCRTC said that in processing camote into candies, the root crop is usually blended with fruits that are in season. The processed products are sold in schools in Baguio City and La Trinidad.

Perez said that for the mass commercialization of camote snackfood, product packaging and marketing will be the next foci of activities. – Rudy A. Fernandez