Nutraceutical value and production of the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas l.) cultivated in south-west of Romania

Abstract

In Romania, the sweet potato is recently cultivated, especially in the South-West region. This region has a temperate continental climate that is characterized by the lack of water in the soil and atmosphere and by a diversity of soil types, very important factors for the cultivation of this species. The lack of information about the real effects of the environmental factors on the nutritional quality and the production of sweet potatoes grown in this area led to this study. Therefore, the present paper aims to evaluate the nutraceutical content of 5 sweet potato genotypes, such as: TSS (total soluble substance), total carotene, reducing sugars, vitamin C, phenolic compounds, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity (determined by DPPH and ABTS) grown in the specific climatic conditions of this region. There was found a differentiated nutritional quality depending on the genotype, so that genotype 5 was rich in carotene (59.29 μg/g FW) and vitamin C (36.56 mg/100 g FW). The data presented in this study also refer to the total number of roots/plant, the average weight/root, the total production/ha, the biomass production/ha and the production index. Regarding these elements, genotype 3 recorded a biomass production of 39.5 t/ha and a total tuber production of 50.3 t/ha. The results presented in this study indicate that the production of this species is climate dependent, which influences important metabolites in tubercles, that plays an essential role in organoleptic properties.