Quality and Shelf-life of Sweet Potato as Influenced by Storage and Postharvest Treatments

2017

English

The high perishability of sweet potato roots during storage remains a major constraint to actors across sub-Sahara Africa. By usingappropriate pre-storage treatments against microbial decay and spro utin g, shel f-life can b e exten ded u p to 1 ye ar at 12-15EC a nd85-90% relative humidity. However, cold storage facilities are not available to the smallholder producers and traders due to cost. Currentlyb ot h tr a di t io n a l a n d im p ro v e d- t r ad i ti o n al m e th o ds o f st o ra g e a r e practiced. These include in-ground storage, heap storage, under-groundstorage, platform storage, sand-pit method and pit under shade and covering with grass on platforms or in baskets. In some cases, ash,soil, sawdust and a cocktail of materials are added to improve shelf-life. The use of some of these methods for storage have often yieldedirregular results with extreme weight loss, sprouting, decay and damage by Cylas spp., starting from 3-6 weeks after storage. Integratedpre and postharvest treatments and design considerations that can reduce these limitations are required to reduce current losses.Effective management rather than sophisticated of such technologies is critical in reducing current losses. This study reviews some salientprogress made in storing sweet potato via traditional or improved-traditional methods at ambient conditions as well as postharvesttreatments to prolong shelf-life

Sugri, I.; Maalekuu, B. K.; Kusi, F.; Gaveh, E.