PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for treating raw material sweet potatoes for fermentation preparation when a Shochu (Japanese distilled spirit) is produced from raw sweet potatoes as a main raw material for a sweet potato Shochu or frozen steamed sweet potatoes, which have high productivity and alcohol yield, readily clean an apparatus and have excellent sanitary property.;SOLUTION: The method for treating raw material sweet potatoes in production of a sweet potato Shochu comprises steam heating pretreated (cleaned and cut) sweet potatoes, passing the steam heated sweet potatoes through a drying process with warm air and freezing and preserving the raw material sweet potatoes or directly feeding them to a fermentation tank. Ordinary frozen sweet potatoes are used as the frozen sweet potatoes. When sweet potatoes treated by the method for treating raw material sweet potatoes are partially frozen and preserved, the frozen and preserved sweet potatoes are conveniently used as raw material sweet potatoes. Namely, pretreated raw sweet potatoes are steam heated by a cooking apparatus, passed through a drying process with warm air by a warm air dryer, cooled by a cooler, frozen and preserved to give frozen sweet potatoes, which are used as raw material sweet potatoes similarly as raw sweet potatoes.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT
展开▼