Breeding and characterization of a new sweetpotato cultivar, ‘Miyaakari’, with bright yellow flesh for confectionery processing

Abstract

We developed a new sweetpotato cultivar, ‘Miyaakari’, for confectionery processing. It was released in 2023. Herein we observed that Miyaakari shows a significantly higher yield compared to two major sweetpotato cultivars in Japan, ‘Kokei No. 14’ and ‘Beniharuka’. Miyaakari has a higher carotenoid content than Kokei No. 14 and Beniharuka, and the flesh color of heat-cooked Miyaakari sweetpotato is bright yellow. The quality of heat-cooked Miyaakari sweetpotato (i.e., hardness and sweetness) is more stable during storage compared to Beniharuka. These characteristics are suitable for food processing. Indeed, a primary food manufacturer concluded that Miyaakari is suitable for ingredients of paste and diced food products. Miyaakari will thus both contribute to an increased production of ingredients for confectionery processing and improve the quality of sweetpotato sweets.