Effects of Ethylene and 1-Methylcyclopropene on the Quality of Sweet Potato Roots during Storage: A Review

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is served as an important root crop worldwide due to its high yield, strong adaptability and nutrient richness. Sweet potato has played a significant role in ensuring food security and family income opportunities for local populations in China for years of experience. The storage roots, which provide abundant nutrition and health benefits to people, are the mainly harvested and consumed parts of sweet potato. However, after harvest, physiological disorders, such as sprouting, mechanical injury and infectious postharvest diseases, increase the magnitude of sweet potato root quality decline and nutritional compound losses. Ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) were considered to be effective commercial treatments in sweet potato postharvest. Exogenous ethylene and 1-MCP treatment could successfully inhibit root sprouts and reduce rot decay without affecting the storage quality of sweet potato. This review aims to summarize the latest available information on the effects of ethylene and 1-MCP with respect to enhancing or impairing sweet potato root quality. A better understanding of the influence of ethylene and 1-MCP on root quality parameters will be useful to further explore the role and mechanisms of action of ethylene in regulating the postharvest storage of sweet potato roots and contributions to technological development and innovation.