QUALIDADE PÓS-COLHEITA EM CULTIVARES DE BATATA-DOCE NO OESTE CATARINENSE

Abstract

Sweet potatoes arouse agricultural interest due to their low production cost, rusticity, easy climate adaptation, and drought tolerance. However, biotic and abiotic factors, cultural traits, and cultivation region may interfere with the post-harvest quality of these tuberous roots. In this regard, this study aimed to determine the bromatological and physicochemical characteristics of sweet potatoes grown in the western region of Santa Catarina, Brazil at different harvest times. The experiment was conducted in a randomized blocks design with five treatments and five replications, and the cultivars Roxinha, Beauregard, BRS Rubissol, BRS Amélia, and Brazlândia Roxa were analyzed. This study was performed in the years of 2017 and 2018. The quality of the sweet potato

roots was determined for titratable acidity, pH, carbohydrate content (starch, non- reducing sugars in sucrose, reducing sugars in glucose, and total soluble sugars), crude

protein, ashes or fixed mineral residue, crude fiber, and pulp coloration. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and the means corresponding to the factors were analyzed with Tukey’s test at 1% probability. The Brazlândia Roxa cultivar was distinguished from the others by the greater accumulation of starch in the crop conditions

of western Santa Catarina. The Roxinha cultivar was distinguished by protein and non- reducing sugar contents when the roots were harvested during horticultural maturation.

Further in-depth studies are needed regarding the time of permanence in the soil and its effects on the post-harvest quality of the roots.