Bioscience Methods 2024, Vol.15, No.6, 275-288 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 282 and nutritious alternative to traditional flours, supporting food security and promoting health benefits (Dereje et al., 2020). Moreover, the use of sweet potato flour in various food products can drive demand for sweet potatoes, benefiting farmers and contributing to the agricultural economy (Vithu et al., 2019; Histifarina et al., 2023). Figure 5 Flow chart for processing white fleshed sweet potato flours (Adopted from Belkacemi, 2022) In conclusion, the production of sweet potato flour involves meticulous processing steps and stringent quality control to ensure a high-quality product suitable for various industrial applications. Its adoption in the food industry not only diversifies food products but also supports nutritional and economic goals. 7 Challenges and Limitations in Sweet Potato Processing 7.1 Impact of seasonal availability, post-harvest losses, and shelf-life issues Sweet potatoes are highly susceptible to post-harvest losses due to inappropriate handling, storage, and delayed transit, leading to quality declines through microbiological and enzymatic activity. Seasonal availability complicates the supply chain, challenging the maintenance of consistent quality and quantity for industrial processing (Rashid et al., 2022). Shelf-life issues also arise with both fresh and processed products, as fresh sweet potatoes are prone to browning and oxidative damage, while processed products face challenges in nutrient retention and microbial stability, even with mitigation treatments such as ultrasound (Pan et al., 2020; Simões et al., 2020).
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