Effect of Processing Methods on Nutrient Contents of Sweet Potato (<i>Ipomoea batatas </i>(L.) Lam.) Varieties Grown in Ethiopia

Abstract

Sweet potato [<i>Ipomoea batatas</i> (L.) Lam.] is an important crop farmed in most of southern and eastern Africa, including Ethiopia, and is utilized in agriculture, food, and other sectors. The objective of this study was to see how different processing methods (boiling, frying, roasting, and steaming) altered the proximate composition, vitamin C, and mineral content of four popular Ethiopian sweet potato cultivars: Tulla, kulfo, Hawassa 83, and Hawassa 09. UV-Vis and AAS methods were used to determine vitamin C and menial contents, respectively. AOAC methods were used to analyze the proximate composition. The results revealed that there were significant (p<0.05) differences in crude protein and CHO between cultivars. Total carbohydrate between varieties ranged from 45.49 to 89.28%, crude fiber (2.08 to 2.51%), crude protein (1.95 to 8.31%), fat (0.45 to 0.85%), ash (3.88 to 4.23%), and moisture (5.50 to 10.4%). Boiling, roasting, steaming, and frying sweet potato cultivars had no discernible effect on the crude protein and ash content. However, there was a statistically significant (p<0.05) difference in vitamin C levels between roasting and other processing methods. Furthermore, there is a significant variation in calcium and potassium levels (p<0.05) between the kinds. The findings revealed that there is no requirement to select processing methods that result in the least amount of nutritional loss. This means that the nutritional content of sweet potato types is better preserved after processing.