Potato Flour

Potato processors turn perishable tubers into flour for food and feed. Drying extends storage life and reduces transport and storage costs. Flour comes from the potato itself, rather than from a leftover after starch extraction.^3,6

1. 01 // Source Potato tubers Fresh potatoes enter the flour line while they still contain the water that makes them costly to ship.
2. 02 // Process Wash and peel Processors clean and peel the tubers, then slice them so the pieces dry evenly.
3. 03 // Process Dry and mill Slices may be blanched or boiled before drying, grinding and sieving into a fine powder.
4. 04 // Output Potato flour The dry powder reaches the kibble plant with starch and smaller amounts of potato protein, fiber and minerals.

1. 01

   Supplies digestible starch

   Extrusion cooks the flour into kibble. In a dog comparison of 6 flour diets, more than 99% of starch was digested in every finished diet.¹

2. 02

   Thickens the wet mix

   Potato flour forms a viscous paste with water and heat. That gives a wet food mix body, though the flour study did not test finished kibble strength.³

3. 03

   Cuts handling costs

   Drying extends the potato's storage life and lowers transport and storage costs compared with fresh tubers. That is a handling advantage, not proof of a cheaper finished food.³

How much A controlled dog trial used potato flour as the main carbohydrate of an extruded kibble; its published abstract gives no inclusion percentage.¹

1. Brands say

   Potato flour provides easily digested energy

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In 1 controlled comparison of extruded diets built around 6 flours, more than 99% of starch was digested across all diets. Potato flour supplies energy, but that result gives it no special advantage over grain flours.¹

2. Brands say

   Potato flour helps kibble hold its shape

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   A laboratory study found that potato flour formed viscous pastes and that processing changed their thickness. This supports a role in wet dough, but the study did not measure finished kibble strength.³

3. Brands say

   Potato flour adds meaningful fiber

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   Dried potato tuber, the material flour is milled from, averages about 2.5% crude fiber on a dry matter basis across 75 feedtables samples. A 6-flour dog study found total dietary fiber varied widely between flours. The cited trials did not test potato flour as a fiber source in dogs.^1,2

4. Brands say

   Grain-free potato flour is healthier than grain flour

   Outruns the evidence

   Evidence

   1. Strong
   2. Some
   3. Thin
   4. None

   In the 6-flour dog comparison, all starches were more than 99% digestible, while the potato flour diet had the lowest ileal protein digestibility at 64%. The experiment measured digestion, not long-term health.¹