Comprehensive review of sweetpotato flavor compounds: Opportunities for developing consumer-preferred varieties

Abstract

Flavor contributes significantly to consumer preferences of cooked sweetpotato. Sugars largely drive the sweet taste, while the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mainly classified as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and terpenes, provide characteristic aromas and influence the overall perception of flavor. In this paper, we review sweetpotato VOCs identified in the literature from 1980 to 2024 and discuss the efforts to understand how these compounds influence sensory perception and consumer preferences. Over 400 VOCs have been identified in cooked sweetpotato with 76 known to be aroma-active. Most of these aroma-active compounds are generated from Maillard reactions, Strecker, lipid and carotenoid degradation, or thermal release of terpenes from glycosidic bonds during cooking. Suggested mechanisms of formation of these aroma-active compounds are described. However, specific VOCs that are responsible for different aromas and flavors in cooked sweetpotatoes are yet to be fully characterized. There are significant opportunities to further identify the key predictors of aroma and flavor attributes in sweetpotato, which can be used to enhance the quality of existing varieties and develop new ones using a wide range of genetic tools. This review summarizes 44 years of research aimed at identifying key aroma compounds in cooked sweetpotato and provides a roadmap for future studies to guide breeders in developing high-quality, consumer-preferred varieties.