There has been great interest in a new way to process the humble potato, opening up the possibility of both world food security and vegan cheese-on-toast!

An Australian research and development company PotatoMagic has been working on a potato-based food ingredient that can be used in non-dairy milk and cheese products and other food substitutes. It can be used both in the home to make foods like cheese, ice-cream or yogurt and by manufacturers to make a variety of animal free foods.

According to the inventor Andrew Dyhin, "Chato" (cheese/potato) is a process that makes a liquid state of potato that can use 100% of the potato crop, including any by-product from packaging and potato food manufacturing. Current processes only use about 75% of the available potato crop, producing a mountain of food waste.

Chato can be used for a wide range of products, such as ready made potato salad, pasta, milk, cream, custard, ice cream, cheese and baked crisps and crackers with no salt and no fat.

Chato can help feed the world's growing population. With arable land diminishing, there is a need for high yield sustainable food sources. Potatoes have a vastly greater food yield than most grains and use less water and other resources. Also, the Chato process is efficient and greatly reduces food waste. Finally, it will increase the diversity of non animal food options.

The company is looking for investors to assist in commercialising the product.

Links

• PotatoMagic home page
• PotatoMagic Super Food Video
• A new way of processing potatoes could replace dairy and keep you alive during a disaster, ABC News