Delaying the harvest induces bioactive compounds and maintains the quality of sweet potatoes

Author(s):Show less -

Simoes, Adriano do Nascimento ^[1] ; de Almeida, Samara Lopes ^{[1, 2]} ; Borges, Cristine Vanz ^[3] ; Fonseca, Kelem Silva ^{[1, 2]} ; Barros Junior, Aurelio Paes ^[4] ; Tavares de Albuquerque, Jose Ricardo ^[4] ; Correa, Camila Renata ^[5] ; Minatel, Igor Otavio ^[3] ; dos Santos Morais, Maria Aparecida ^{[1, 2]} ; Diamante, Marla Silvia ^[3] ; Pereira Lima, Giuseppina Pace ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Plant Prod, Serra Talhada - Brazil

^[2] Correa, Camila Renata, Sao Paulo State Univ, Med Sch, Dept Pathol, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.Simoes, Adriano do Nascimento, Univ Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Plant Prod, Serra Talhada - Brazil

^[3] Sao Paulo State Univ, Inst Biosci, Dept Chem & Biochem, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[4] Fed Rural Univ Semiarid, Dept Plant Sci, Mossoro - Brazil

^[5] Sao Paulo State Univ, Med Sch, Dept Pathol, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY; v. 44, n. 8 JUN 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

We have identified the best harvesting periods, related to higher bioactive compound content and post-harvest quality, for minimally processed sweet potatoes with orange pulp and cream pulp. Quality loss in minimally processed sweet potatoes occurred due to browning in cv. Mae de Familia and ESAM1 and to whitening in cv. Parana. Both Mae de Familia and ESAM1 presented higher peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activities at 120 days, and cv. Parana contained high levels of provitamin A. beta-carotene was the major carotenoid (up to 99%) in orange pulp. All cultivars harvested at 150 and 180 days and minimally processed showed the best visual quality, the highest bioactive compound content, and no microbial infection. Delaying the harvest also increase the antioxidant activity in orange roots, which was associated with a high content of carotenoids and phenolic compounds, resulting in an increase in the nutritional quality of the product. Practical applications Postharvest techniques can improve the visual and phytochemical quality of vegetables and extend their shelf life. The present research provides the best harvesting periods for minimally processed cream and orange sweet potato roots with higher postharvest qualities. Delaying the harvest resulted in a product with better visual quality, higher levels of bioactive compounds, which are highly beneficial to health, for example, ss-carotene, and no microbiological contamination. Our results may contribute to improvements in the current knowledge about harvesting times for sweet potato growers who aim to produce high quality, minimally processed products with a longer shelf life. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/22665-2 - Post-harvest technologies impact on the content of bioactive compounds in bananas, grape juice and turmeric
• Grantee: Giuseppina Pace Pereira Lima
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants