Chef-ready taewa for restaurants

Chef-ready taewa are partially cooked tubers that can be reheated quickly in a microwave. They have a 21-day shelf life that makes them suitable for export. Dr Jaspreet Singh explains are they targeted at high-class international restaurants?

Transcript

Dr Jaspreet Singh (Riddet Institute)

Chef-ready taewa are the par-cooked or partially cooked, minimally processed and suitably packaged Māori potato tubers which can be easily cooked by microwave heating within minutes. We achieved 21 days of shelf life at refrigeration temperatures, which is actually very good without using any chemicals and other preservatives, so there are no problems if we want to export these potatoes to Europe or other parts of the world.

These products were developed as a high-value premium product for the high-class international restaurants. During the first stage, we need to see the returns for the research we have done. And the production levels [for taewa] are not the same as for the modern potatoes, so it may not be possible to provide them for everyone, and to attract the high premiums, we are designing these chef-ready products for the high-class market only.

Turners and Growers, which is a leading New Zealand-based exporter of the premium fresh produce, they expressed their willingness to be a part of that… that project, and they have connections with the local and overseas supermarkets.

Acknowledgements: Wikimedia Commons Melingo wagamama Stefan Peetz, Germany