Bioscience Methods 2025, Vol.16, No.1, 41-51 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 42 of sweet potatoes. This study aims to provide actionable insights and recommendations for farmers, storage facility managers, and policymakers to enhance storage stability and quality, ultimately contributing to improved food security and economic benefits through comprehensive analysis. 2 Storage Methods for Sweet Potatoes 2.1 Traditional storage techniques Traditional storage techniques for sweet potatoes often involve methods such as pit storage, sack storage, wooden boxes, and clump storage (Figure 1) (Bhattarai et al., 2021). These methods are widely used in various regions due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness. For instance, in the Gamo Zone of Southern Ethiopia, sweet potatoes stored in pits showed the highest moisture, ash, protein, fat, and fiber content compared to other traditional methods, with the least weight loss, sprouting, and spoilage over a four-month period (Eyesa and Badebo, 2022). This suggests that pit storage is preferable for maintaining the physicochemical and sensory acceptability of sweet potatoes. However, traditional methods like sun or open-air drying, although common, can be slow and may result in lower quality due to prolonged exposure to environmental factors (Rashid et al., 2022). Figure 1 Different storage conditions and sweet potato genotypes (Adopted from Bhattarai et al., 2021) Image caption: A-inside dry sand; B-inside sawdust; C-thin jute sack; D-natural mud pot; E-open crates; F-’CIP 440015’; G-’CIP 440267’ and H-’Local White’ (Adopted from Bhattarai et al., 2021) In Zhejiang China, sweet potatoes are usually concentrated on the market in November. In order to extend the supply of fresh potatoes and processing time, they are generally stored for more than three months with a decay rate of about 30%. To this end, Jinhua Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Zhuji Chunjiahe Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd. have developed a set of simple greenhouse storage and preservation techniques for sweet potato production areas. After three months of storage, the decay rate of sweet potatoes can be controlled at around 10% when packaged in plastic baskets and cardboard boxes (Figure 2). Figure 2 Simple greenhouse storage used in sweet potato production areas in Zhejiang Province Image caption: A: Simple greenhouse storage in the production area; B: Using plastic basket packaging materials, the loss rate after three months of storage is 9.63%; C: Using cardboard box packaging materials, the loss rate after three months of storage is 12.00%; D: Bulk, the loss rate after three months is 24.38% 2.2 Modern storage innovations Modern storage innovations have introduced advanced techniques to enhance the quality and shelf life of sweet potatoes. Techniques such as laser-light backscattering imaging (LLBI) have been employed to non-destructively
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