Processing suitability of different varieties of sweet potatoes cooked with different methods

This study investigated the processing suitability of sweet potatoes undergoing different cooking methods (steaming, microwaving and roasting). Thirty-four varieties of sweet potatoes were used as raw materials. Moisture, ash, starch, reducing sugar, vitamin C, protein, and total sugar of sweet potato were measured. Comprehensive evaluation indicators were clustered using correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and K-means cluster analysis. Results showed that different varieties of sweet potatoes and their processed products were significantly different in various indexes. Clustering results showed that 13 sweet potato varieties were suitable for steaming, 6 sweet potato varieties were suitable for microwaving, and 4 sweet potato varieties were suitable for roasting. Moreover, the obtained clustering results were consistent with the actual application, which could provide application support for the intensive and rational utilization of sweet potato germplasm resources.