A functional mathematical index for predicting effects of food processing on eight sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivars

In this paper we apply an improved functional mathematical index (FMI), modified from those presented in previous publications, to define the influence of different cooking processes of eight sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivars on composition of six bioactive phenolic compounds (flavonoids). The index allows the evaluation of nutritional, safety, and processing aspects of the following six phenolic compounds: neochlorogenic acid (3-CQA), cryptochlorogenic acid (4-CQA), chlorogenic acid (5-CQA), and three isochlorogenic acids, namely isochlorogenic acid A (3,5-diCQA), isochlorogenic acid B (3,4-diCQA), and isochlorogenic acid C (4,5-diCQA). These sweet potato components are considered to be the most representative phenolic compounds in this widely consumed food. The results of the mathematical analysis suggest that the derived total and individual FMI values provide a tool for predicting the relative adverse effects of food-processing effects (boiling, deep frying, microwaving, oven baking, sautéing, and steaming) on the evaluated phenolic compounds of eight sweet potato varieties. The use of the FMI makes it possible to predict the effects of processing conditions on the content of phenolic compounds of new sweet potato varieties, without the need to actually subject the sweet potatoes to the various cooking conditions.