Ershad Sheibani

Sweet Potato: Preharvest and Postharvest Treatments and Evaluations Ershad Sheibani

Sweet potato is one of the most efficient food crops in terms of caloric value per land area, with many agronomic benefits for marginal land. Sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber,vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 . Curing is one of the most important postharvest treatments of sweet potato. The main purpose of curing is to heal injuries to the root and to improve sensory characteristics. Ethylene is produced by many fruits especially during ripening and is considered a natural ripening hormone. There is no information available on effects of ethylene on sensory characteristics and other quality of sweet potatoes. Moreover, the combined effect of ethylene and curing has not been reported. Sprouting and spoilage are considered a postharvest problem for sweet potatoes because it causes economic loss for sweet potato farmers. The USDA standards list a defect when more than 10 percent of the sweet potatoes in the lot have sprouts over 1.91 cm in length. Moreover, sweet potato attached with sprouts shall not be scored as U. S. No. 1 or U. S. No. 2 grades.