The Physicochemical Analysis and Anthocyanin Level of Malaysian Purple Sweet Potato Cracker

Rosmaliza Muhammad^1,2, Emmy Hainida Khairul Ikram², Mohd Shazali Md. Sharif¹
and Norazmir Md Nor ^2,3,4,*

¹Department of Culinary Arts and Gastronomy, Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

²Centre for Dietetics Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

³Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (Mi-Child) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia

⁴Integrative Pharmacogenomics Institute (iPROMISE), Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.

Corresponding Author E-mail: azmir2790@uitm.edu.my

Purple Sweet Potato (PSP) in Malaysia is an abandoned crop. Even though it has various health benefits and nutritional values, consumers, especially Malaysians, still lack purple sweet potato consumption. It has a high dietary fibre content, a low glycemic index, and contains proteins, minerals, polyphenols, and anthocyanin. The National Health Morbidity Survey (Malaysia) in 2019 reported that 94% of Malaysian adults lack fiber consumption in their dietary patterns. As a result, it may become an alternative crop for individuals who consume less nutrients and fibre as a result of dietary choices and health issues. This one-of-a-kind crop also contains anti-oxidative, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-obesity, and anti-aging qualities. Due to the lack of a commercial food product based on this crop, it has become an unpopular crop among Malaysians. Purple sweet potato makes only a few Malaysian sweets and traditional snacks. Nonetheless, Malaysian customers continue to ignore it. Thus, Purple Sweet Potato Cracker was made, and a proximate analysis was conducted to examine its physicochemical content. It was found that the newly developed PSP crackers were high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as well as in calcium (1332.08 mg/kg) and contained anthocyanins of 6.68 mg/L. Besides that, this special cracker is free from food preservatives without coloring agents and additives. The processing of Purple Sweet Potato Cracker carries important features for small-medium entrepreneurs, which will contribute to the Malaysian economy perspectives, as it has a good potential to be marketed in domestic and international commercial food outlets.

Anthocyanins; Consumers; Cracker; Malaysia; Purple Sweet Potato

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