Ready to compete with flour Suweg "Oatmeal"

Suweg as a kind of large tubers are rarely cultivated and consumed by the public because of the usual ways of processing can cause itching of the tongue. But with special processing and made of flour, suweg proved to have greater fiber content than the oatmeal-known as a food control cholesterol levels.

Suweg flour (Amorphophallus campanulatus BI) is ready to compete with instant oats, health foods to keep blood cholesterol low, "said Nur Faridah Didah researchers from the Department of Food Science and Technology Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Bogor Agricultural University, Thursday (01/20/2011).

Suweg arrowroot starch instead of flour were higher fiber content. Arrowroot flour has a total value of food fiber is only 9.89 percent while the fiber was tested suweg flour reached 15.09 percent.

"Flour suweg has good prospects for health food. However, until now there has been no industry that produces it, "said Didah.

Difficulty to produce flour suweg is the difficulty of getting their raw material supply. During this suweg not be cultivated plants, and even most of that is regarded as weeds.

Suweg hemispherical shaped bulbs with a diameter of 35 centimeters. The weight of the maximum can reach 15 pounds per bulb.

According Didah, part of which can be eaten by 86 percent. The usual way of eating by steaming.

When used as a flour suweg, can be used as raw material for noodles or bread. Can also be used as slurry.

In addition to fiber content, glycemic index also tested (IG) to determine the speed of the carbohydrate material to release glucose into the blood.

Foodstuffs with the parameters of the lower GI will the better, especially for people with diabetes mellitus. Its standards, IG under 55 is low.

IG classified as being in the range 55-70. Then IG with a number above 70 is high.

"IG on suweg flour reached 36. This is classified as very low as far below the benchmark with a low GI index number 55, "said Didah.

With a high-fiber foods and low glycemic index, flour suweg useful for preventing colon cancer, diverticular, cardiovascular, obesity, high cholesterol, and diabetes or diabetes.

"Flour suweg have a functional as hypoglycemic and hypocholesterolemic," said Didah.

Encouraging the cultivation

Didah took two periods to research this suweg flour. At first, 2003 to 2004. Then continued in 2007 to be able to measure the fiber content of foods and glycemic index.

"With the results of this research, I would encourage farmers to cultivate suweg," he said.

Didah never buy suweg in Sumedang, West Java. The price is still very cheap, but is rare.

Suweg a kind of tuber plant plains to an altitude of 800 meters above sea level. Plants with bulbs half-spherical shape is thought to have come from India. Suweg then spread to Southeast Asia to the islands in the Pacific Ocean.

By the age of one year of planting, bulbs suweg can grow to a diameter of 35 cm. If supported fertility and adequate soil moisture. Suweg also good to grow in the shade of the trees that cover at least 40 percent of sun exposure.

Leaf stalks growing in its center. Leaf stalks grow upright can reach a height of 60-90 cm. If the leaves begin to wilt, then suweg ready for harvest when the leaves show signs of wilting. The trunk was beginning to show yellow color.

Suweg tuber skin color dark brown with orange flesh tubers to dull reddish. Suweg tuber flesh can indeed cause itching because it contains calcium oxalate.

Calcium oxalate is actually found in almost all parts of the plant suweg fine needle-shaped (raphide). Such as taro, itching from taking suweg can be prevented in various ways, including by immersion in water long enough before cooking.

Then, the cause of itching that can be eliminated by heating intensively. In addition, calcium oxalate can be dissolved with strong acids.

Didah said strong acid is easily found on the market is hydrochloric acid. However, it also contains toxic hydrochloric acid so that should be used in very small sizes.

Hydrochloric acid is used to contain 0.25 percent. That, too, just to soak suweg already peeled and sliced ​​for 4 minutes. To neutralize the acid content again, followed by immersion in a solution of slices suweg calcium carbonate (baking soda) as much as 1 percent for 5 minutes.

Suweg also ready to be processed. If you want ditepung, suweg should be dried until the moisture content up to 10 percent. Furthermore suweg ready milled into flour with a 60 mesh sieve.

Viewing properties, flour suweg have good economic prospects. Of course, thanks to scientific research as is done Didah and relatives in college during this that deserve appreciation.