Abstract:

Purple sweet potato (PSP) contains a variety of functional components, such as anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid. Therefore, PSP is endowed with multiple physiological functions including antioxidation, antimutation, hepato-protection, antihypertension, antihyperglycemia, antihyperlipidemia, memory enhancing, and antibacterial activities. Varied foods and food materials have been developed from PSP both at home and abroad. Therefore, PSP can be recommended as a superior cash crop for the production of foods of health benefits. In order to provide theoretical basis for better exploration of PSP resources, the research progress on physicochemical property, physiological functions, development and application of PSP and its anthocyanins in recent years is summarized in this paper.

Key words: purple sweet potato, anthocyanins, physical and chemical properties, functional properties, application