Physiochemical Assessment of Powdered and Pelletized Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) Plant Parts for Potential Animal Feed Applications

This study delves into the potential of utilizing various components of the sweet potato plant (Ipomoea batatas) for animal feed production, focusing on leaves, stems, tubers, and peels processed into powdered and pelletized forms. Proximate analysis is employed to ascertain their characteristic properties. The investigation aims to determine the viability of marketing sweet potato plant parts as a technical-grade powder for animal feed formulation. Powder properties are thoroughly examined, including cohesion, caking, and powder flow speed dependency. Simultaneously, the research uses a compaction process to explore the feasibility of generating animal feed pellets from underutilized sweet potato leaves and stems. Pellets are formulated at a 1:1 ratio of leaves to stems, with the moisture content varying from 40% to 60%. Evaluations encompass friability, bulk density, true density, porosity, and tensile strength. Results highlight that sweet potato plant parts, mainly leaves and stems, contain substantial nutritional substances, rendering them suitable for animal feed production. Flowability analysis categorizes the powders as stable and free-flowing. Moreover, the study pinpoints the optimal moisture content for pellet production at 60%, showcasing the formulation's lowest friability (0.30%), lowest bulk density (629.5 kg/m3), highest porosity (56.51%), and highest work of compression (303.79 kg.s). This formulation also yields superior tensile strength than other moisture-content formulations for sweet potato leaves and stem pellets. The comprehensive findings underscore the potential of sweet potato plant components in animal feed production, presenting a sustainable alternative with nutritional benefits.