Nutritional composition and health benefits of leaf-vegetable sweet potato in South China

Abstract Elucidating the chemical composition and health benefits of specially bred leaf-vegetable sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) can provide a basis for improving their utilization and commercialization and also inform effective breeding strategies. In this study, the nutritional and health-related parameters of different-colored leaf tips (green and purplish-green types) from 11 leafy cultivars of sweet potatoes were determined. The results showed that the tip tissue possessed a wide range of nutritional compounds, and the contents of all of these compounds differed significantly between cultivars (p