Sweet Potatoes are high-yield root crops widely grown and eaten around the world. They are highly adaptable and rich in nutrients. Freshly harvested sweet potatoes contain a lot of moisture and spoil easily, making storage difficult. Drying is a key step to extend shelf life and increase product value. We provide efficient and reliable sweet potato drying solutions to help you turn fresh sweet potatoes into high-quality, shelf-stable, and marketable dried products.
Why Dry Sweet Potatoes?
Extend Shelf Life
Fresh sweet potatoes have high water content (around 70%) and spoil quickly. Drying reduces moisture to about 14%, preventing mold and bacteria and extending shelf life to months or even a year.
Easier to Store and Transport
Dried sweet potatoes are lighter and take up less space, reducing storage and shipping costs. They can be stored at room temperature—no cold chain needed.
Increase Product Value
Dried sweet potatoes can be made into snacks, noodles, starch, or flour. This adds value by turning raw crops into processed food products.
Meet Market Demand
Dried sweet potatoes are a healthy food—natural, additive-free, rich in fiber and sugar. They are popular for exporting snacks and online sales.
Reduce Seasonal Pressure
Sweet potatoes are harvested seasonally, often in large volumes. Drying balances the market supply and helps farmers increase income.
Ready for Further Processing
Dried slices can be ground into flour or powder for various uses, like feed, seasoning ingredients, or other products.
How to Dry Sweet Potatoes?
Raw Material Preparation
Choose clean, fresh sweet potatoes without pests or rot. Prefer varieties with high starch content. Wash thoroughly with water or a spray cleaning machine to remove dirt.
Slicing
Use a slicer to cut potatoes into even slices, typically 3–5 mm thick. Uniform thickness ensures even drying.
Pre-Dehydration
After slicing, let the pieces drain naturally or use a dewatering machine to remove surface moisture. This speeds up drying and improves efficiency.
Drying Process
| Stage | Temperature Range | Duration | Purpose |
| Preheating | 40–50°C | 1–2 hours | Remove surface moisture, prevent case hardening |
| Main Drying | 55–65°C | 4–6 hours | Rapid dehydration preserves nutrients and texture |
| Constant Drying | Around 60°C | 2–3 hours | Even drying to reach target moisture content (<14%) |
| Cooling & Dehumidifying | Room Temperature | 30 minutes – 1 hour | Discharge residual moisture, prevent reabsorption |
Drying temperature should be adjusted based on actual production needs.
How to Choose a Sweet Potato Dryer?
Key Factors to Consider
- Capacity Requirements: How many sweet potatoes do you need to dry per day? Choose from 600kg/batch, 3000kg/batch, or more.
- Heat Source Options: Electric heating, natural gas, diesel, or biomass hot air furnace.
- Control System: Does it support automatic temperature and humidity control? Touch screen PLC control available?
- Drying Uniformity: Is the hot air circulation effective? Does the material dry evenly without overlapping?
- Material Safety: Are food-contact parts made of stainless steel? (SUS304 recommended)
- Installation & Space: Is the available space suitable? Is a foundation or ventilation system needed?
- Budget Range: Small machines cost a few thousand USD, medium ones several tens of thousands, and large systems over $100,000, depending on configuration.
Types of Sweet Potato Dryers
Box Dryer
Suitable for small to medium-scale farms or food processors. Capacity ranges from 600kg to 7200kg per batch.
Mesh Belt Dryer
Designed for large-scale processing. Supports continuous 24-hour operation. The wider and longer the belt, the higher the output per hour.
Deep Processing of Sweet Potatoes
Recommended Processing Route
- Primary Processing: Dried sweet potato → Sweet potato flour, sweet potato vermicelli
- Intermediate Processing: Sweet potato starch → Animal feed pellets, food additives
- Advanced Processing: Extraction of polysaccharides, functional foods, and biodegradable materials
Supporting Machines Available
We offer a full range of machines to support each stage of processing. Let us help you build a complete sweet potato processing line.
| Processing Stage | Recommended Equipment |
| Washing & Peeling | Brush Washing Machine, Peeling Machine |
| Slicing & Shredding | Sweet Potato Slicer, Shredding Machine |
| Drying & Dehydrating | Box-Type Dryer, Mesh Belt Dryer |
| Starch Extraction | Crushing & Pulping Machine, Separator, Sedimentation Tank |
| Vermicelli/ Noodle Production | Starch Vermicelli Machine, Extruder, Cooling Conveyor System |
| Packaging | Vacuum Packaging Machine |
| Fermentation | Feed Fermentation Tank, Mixing & Stirring Equipment |
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