Effects of Storage Materials and Conditions on Sensory Attributes of Boiled Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam) Chips, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria

Sweet potatoes face a significant challenge of rapid postharvest losses, often attributed to inadequate storage methods and unsuitable storage conditions. Experiment was conducted to assess the storability of various sweet potato cultivars under different storage conditions and using different storage materials over 12 weeks. The study was carried out during the dry seasons of 2022 and 2023 at the Crop Production and Horticulture Department of Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria. The research conducted in 2022 provides baseline data, while the research in 2023 allows for the assessment of trends, changes, and gives basis to validate the data obtained in the first year. The experiment was laid out in a Split-Split-Plot Design (SSPD), and each treatment was replicated three times, resulting in a comprehensive factorial experiment combining three factors: storage materials (grass, river sand, and sawdust), storage conditions (under roof and without roof), and cultivars (yellow flesh, purple skin, and white skin). Data were taken in 2022 and 2023 on sensory attributes and data collected were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Means were separated using Least Significance Difference (LSD) at 0.05 % level of probability. The result showed significant differences (P≤0.05) among storage materials, cultivars and storage conditions on all the sensory parameters in both 2022 and 2023. The effects of storage materials on appearance (colour) in 2022, sweet potato stored in grass recorded the highest colour of 3.833, followed by sweet potato stored in river sand with 2.22 and the least of 1.778 was obtained from sawdust. A similar trend was also observed in 2023, sweet potatoes stored in grass recorded the highest colour of 3.833, followed by sweet potatoes stored in river sand with 2.22 and the least of 1.681 was obtained from sawdust. Additionally, the purple skin sweet potato cultivar was found to be superior in terms of sensory attributes as compared to its counterparts. It was recommended that purple skin sweet potatoes stored in grass appear to be the best cultivar and storage material respectively for maintaining sensory attributes especially appearance (colour) in the study area.