Comparative Study of Calcium Chloride and Wood-Ash Applications on Proximate and Vitamin Contents of Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato

Tuberous roots of improved Orange Fleshed Sweet potato (OFSP) are susceptible to spoilage during storage. Research has shown that developing a storage method using concentrated CaCl2 solution and wood-ash suspension methods could minimize this spoilage phenomenon. In this study, comparative study of the CaCl2 and wood-ash applications were therefore, used to investigate the effect of these methods on proximate and vitamin contents of stored UMUSPO 3 variety of OFSP at different storage temperatures. The edible roots of the experimental OFSP variety were freshly harvested from National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike Farm Centre. After washing and drying they were dipped into CaCl2 solution and wood ash suspension and allowed to air-dry. They were then stored at different storage temperatures (4,7,10,12,15 and 18 oC) for the duration of 0, 2 and 4 weeks. At each of the storage period, the experimental chemical analyses were carried out in triplicates. Results from both treatment showed that higher temperatures of 12-18 oC were able to retain the experimental nutritional compositions of the OFSP samples at minimal loss of weight (1.672 - 14.422 %) after 4 weeks of storage with 18 oC giving the best result. Generally, the determined vitamins (A, C, E, Beta-carotene) and proximate were significantly different (P≤0.05) between the storage temperatures. Wood-ash method gave better preservative power than that of CaCl2.