Hainan extends sweet potato shelf life through post-harvest heat treatment

To improve the quality of sweet potatoes for export, Changjiang Li Autonomous County in China’s Hainan province has introduced high-tech post-harvest treatments. The goal is to reduce spoilage, extend shelf life, and meet rising global demand.

Sweet potato skins are easily damaged during harvest. If not treated, these small injuries can lead to rot and disease during storage. To address this, producers are using “healing chambers” — controlled environments where damaged sweet potatoes are stored at 40°C for seven days with specific humidity and carbon dioxide levels.

This method helps the tubers form a protective layer, increases the healthy yield to 94.7%, extends shelf life from one month to over six months, and lowers spoilage rates from 15% to 10%. These improvements make it easier to maintain a stable year-round supply for international markets.

Since late 2024, the county has shipped more than 150 metric tons of sweet potatoes abroad. Additional shipments are planned throughout the year, with export targets set for West Asia, East Asia, and Western Europe.

Sweet potatoes are grown on about 16.67 square kilometres in Changjiang, producing an annual output value of 230 million yuan (approximately $32 million). The crop makes up 20% of Hainan’s total sweet potato production.

Local authorities are also supporting the development of supply chains for other tropical crops like mangoes and longan, aiming to raise quality standards and help small farmers reach global markets.

source: chinadaily.com.cn

photo: tropicalhainan.com