Microbiological quality of fresh-cut sweet potatoes

Sweet potato roots were dipped in various concentrations of chlorine for 5 min at 1 or 20 °C before and after slicing, and then stored at 2 or 8 °C for 14 days to evaluate the effects of different chlorine treatments and storage temperatures on the microbiological quality of fresh‐cut sweet potato slices. The microflora of fresh‐cut sweet potato slices was dominated by mesophiles, followed by psychrotrophs and fungi initially and during storage. The 2 °C storage was necessary to keep the microbial load at a low level. No spoilage was observed in fresh‐cut sweet potatoes at both storage temperatures for 14 days. Chlorination of sweet potatoes before slicing was not effective in ensuring acceptable microbiological quality of fresh‐cut sweet potatoes. Dipping slices in 200 ppm chlorine at 1 °C reduced the population of all micro‐organisms during storage.