IMPROVING SWEET-POTATO STARCH DIGESTIBILITY FOR ANIMAL FEEDING

Eight sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] clones were evaluated fo r the digestibility of their starch in animals with a simple in vitro screening method. Starch digestibility varied significantly among clon es. After dry-heat treatment at 100C for 30 minutes, digestibility of the most heat-sensitive clone increased only 37.8%. Excellent repeatab le results were obtained with a simple weight-loss method. This assay procedure can be used as a screening method in breeding digestible swe etpotatoes for animal feed.