Nutritional value and consumer perception of biofortified sweet potato varieties

The deficiency of vitamin A is associated with preventable childhood infections and blindness. Optimal nutrition from a dietary variety and a selection of nutrient-rich foods are needed to enrich the diet. Orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) is a source of provitamin A due to its bioavailability of carotenes in roots that can be influenced by variety, environmental and crop management conditions. The aim was to characterize six of sweet potato genotypes [yellow-fleshed sweet potato (YFSP) and OFSP] using high-throughput phenotyping approaches to determine the influence of multi-environmental evaluation on quality attributes. The sensory evaluation was included to recognize the consumer perception of biofortified varieties. Total carotenoids content (TCC) and all-trans-β-carotene (atβC) were determined via HPLC, and colorimetric measurements were used to evaluate the root flesh color. Sensory evaluation was done for two OFSP and the cream-fleshed (CFSP) traditional landrace. Results revealed that the nutritional richness of OFSP was exhibited in its high TCC and atβC. High temperature and low accumulated rainfall negatively affected the accumulation of dry matter (DM), ash, and crude fiber while enhancing soluble solids, TCC, and atβC content. The food composition table of Ambarina and Aurora varieties showed the enriched quality compared to that of CFSP traditional landrace. Colorimetric methods were successfully used to differentiate flesh colors that could be significantly related to nutritional quality, especially a* and b* values from colorimeter and red (R), green (G), and blue (B) pixel values. High acceptance of OFSP varieties in sensory attributes suggested the potential of these biofortified varieties as nutrient-rich foods and prevented vitamin A malnutrition.