Bioscience Methods 2024, Vol.15, No.6, 275-288 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 283 7.2 Energy, resource requirements, and environmental waste management Sweet potato processing, especially drying, demands significant energy and resources (Rashid et al., 2022). Traditional drying methods like sun drying are inefficient and may reduce product quality, while advanced techniques like vacuum, infrared, and freeze drying, though more effective, require substantial energy inputs and sophisticated equipment. Furthermore, processing generates considerable waste, including peels and other by-products. Effective waste management strategies, such as bioprocessing to convert waste into bioethanol, microbial protein, and organic acids, require additional investment and infrastructure. 7.3 Regulatory, quality standards, and technological limitations Meeting regulatory and quality standards presents another challenge in sweet potato processing. The industry must comply with stringent food safety regulations, quality control measures, and labeling requirements, which can be especially burdensome for small-scale processors. Additionally, adopting advanced non-destructive quality evaluation technologies, like imaging and spectroscopy, could enhance quality control, but high costs, specialized knowledge, and equipment needs limit widespread implementation (Sheikha and Ray, 2017; Sanchez et al., 2020). 7.4 Market, economic constraints, and profitability The economic viability of sweet potato processing is influenced by market demand, pricing, and competition from other staple crops. Despite the health benefits and industrial applications of sweet potatoes, their market penetration remains limited compared to other crops, affecting the scalability and profitability of processing ventures (Laveriano-Santos et al., 2022). This economic constraint requires a multifaceted approach, including technological innovation, effective waste management, and adherence to quality standards to overcome the challenges and limitations in sweet potato processing. 8 Future Prospects and Trends in Sweet Potato Processing 8.1 Opportunities in functional food development The bioprocessing of sweet potatoes offers significant opportunities for the development of functional foods. Sweet potatoes can be transformed into a variety of products such as sour starch, lacto-pickle, lacto-juice, soy sauce, acidophilus milk, sweet potato curd, yogurt, and alcoholic beverages through fermentation processes (Sheikha and Ray, 2017). The unique nutritional and functional properties of sweet potatoes, including bioactive carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, carotenoids, and anthocyanins, contribute to their health benefits, such as antioxidative, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antiobesity, and antiaging effects (Wang et al., 2016). This makes sweet potatoes an excellent candidate for developing nutritionally enhanced and value-added food products that promote human health. 8.2 Prospects for bio-based industrial products from sweet potato Sweet potatoes are not only valuable for food products but also for industrial applications. The starch from sweet potatoes can be used in food derivatives, dietary supplements, and as industrial raw materials (Lyu et al., 2021). Additionally, sweet potato residues can be utilized to produce biocomposites for packaging applications, which are characterized by their thermal stability and low environmental impact (Vannini et al., 2021). The potential for producing bioethanol from sweet potatoes further highlights their versatility as a bio-based industrial product (Sheikha et al., 2017). The integration of sweet potato processing into biorefineries can lead to the production of both ethanol and distilled beverages, contributing to the circular economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (Weber et al., 2020). 8.3 Sustainable processing and circular economy practices The concept of a circular economy is increasingly being applied to sweet potato processing. By utilizing sweet potato waste in biorefineries, it is possible to produce bioethanol and distilled beverages, thereby reducing food waste and greenhouse gas emissions (Weber et al., 2020). Additionally, the anaerobic co-digestion of sweet potato with dairy cattle manure can generate biogas and bio-fertilizer, enhancing the sustainability of agricultural practices (Montoro et al., 2019). The development of biocomposites from sweet potato residues for packaging applications also exemplifies the principles of a circular economy, closing the loop of sweet potato product and by-product valorization (Vannini et al., 2021).
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