Investigating the Effects of Processing Methods on The Nutritional Profile of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas)

The study investigated how different processing methods (boiling and frying) affects the proximate composition and mineral contents of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato) which is commonly consumed in Nigeria. The samples were designated Raw Sweet Potato (RSP), Boiled Sweet Potato (BSP) and Fried Sweet Potato (FSP). The proximate analysis for RSP, FSP and BSP samples ranged from 32.41% to 53.82% for moisture content while the carbohydrate content ranged from 29.97% to 43.49%. Boiling reduced the ash and fibre contents and frying increased the crude fat, crude fibre and crude ash contents. The RSP recorded the highest crude protein content. The beta-carotene and ascorbic acid content reduced with processing but the reduction was more pronounced in the BSP sample. A high potassium mineral content was obtained from all the samples but there was a reduction upon processing. Magnesium and sodium was also present to a reasonable extent. These results showed that boiling and frying methods has effects on both the proximate composition and mineral contents of direct potato samples.