Anthocyanin content, antioxidant activity, and selected physical properties of flowable purple-fleshed sweetpotato purees

With high levels of polyphenolic compounds, purple-fleshed sweetpotatoes (PFSP) have been utilized as a healthy food commodity and source of natural food colorants, in Asia. In the U.S. sweetpotato industry, there are growing Interests in exploring these market opportunities for PFSP A locally grown PFSP cultivar was analyzed for antioxidant properties. The total phenolic content ranged from 313.6 to 1483.7 mg chlorogenic acid equivalent/100g fresh weight (fw), and anthocyamin contents were between 51.5 and 174.7 mg anthocyanins/100 g fw. The DPPH radical scavenging activities and were 47.0 to 87.4 mu mol trolox equivelent (TE)/g fw, and the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values were between 26.4 and 78.2 mu mol TE/g fw. Unlike orange-fleshed sweetpotatoes (OF steamed roots of PFSP formed a thick paste, which required a process modification to produce flowable puress. Rheological testing Indicated that adjusting the dry matter of PFSP to 18%-21% produced purees with Bowl ties similar to the OFSP purees. The PFSP purees had polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity within reported for various purple-colored fruits and vegetables.