Pingyin Fresh Sweet Potatoes

Pingyin Fresh Sweet Potatoes

Pingyin fresh sweet potatoes are a product with geographical indication status.

　　Pingyin Fresh Sweet Potatoes

　　High-quality fresh sweet potatoes are rich in starch, soluble sugars, amino acids, dietary fiber, and minerals. They are particularly high in beta-carotene, vitamins B1, B2, C, and E, mucoprotein, dehydroepiandrosterone, and are classified as a near-physiological alkaline food, helping to balance the acidity of physiological acid-forming foods such as rice, flour, fish, and meat. The Ming Dynasty’s Li Shizhen noted in his *Compendium of Materia Medica* that sweet potatoes “nourish deficiency, boost energy, strengthen the spleen and stomach, and fortify kidney yin.” According to scientific research, sweet potatoes also have anti-cancer properties. Japanese cancer experts have found that among all vegetables, sweet potatoes rank first in anti-cancer efficacy. Produced by the Fresh Sweet Potato Production Base of the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Ancheng Township — known as the top red sweet potato township in the province — these fresh sweet potatoes are grown using special cultivation techniques to ensure they are pollution-free green foods. They are ideal for children’s development, elderly health care, and cancer prevention, as well as being unique and premium gift items. There are many ways to enjoy fresh sweet potatoes: they can be steamed, roasted, fried, or boiled, resulting in delicious treats like baked sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, and fried sweet potatoes. There are twelve main varieties, including the Japanese Yellow Sweet Potato, introduced by the Science Association in 2001, yielding 6,000–8,000 pounds per mu. The tubers are pear-shaped, with smooth yellow skin and orange-red flesh, making them a high-yield, yellow-fleshed variety.

　　Ancheng Township has 12,000 mu of sweet potato planting area, forming three major production bases: Lengfan–Liuzhuang, Qiuzhuang–Changtian–Zhangtian, and Nansheng–Beisheng. It serves as an experimental production base for fresh sweet potatoes under the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Shandong Scientists Association.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The protected geographical area for Pingyin fresh sweet potatoes is within Pingyin County, Shandong Province. The geographical coordinates are between 116°12′ to 116°27′ east longitude and 36°1′ to 36°23′ north latitude, covering a total area of 827 square kilometers. The production area for Pingyin fresh sweet potatoes spans 8,000 hectares, with an annual output of over 360,000 tons. These sweet potatoes are mainly distributed across 246 administrative villages in seven townships within Pingyin County: Hongfanchi Town, Dong’e Town, Rose Town, Kongcun Town, Pingyin Town, Xiaozhi Town, and Ancheng Township.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　1. External Sensory Characteristics: Through long-term cultivation and natural selection, along with dedicated efforts by scientific research institutions over generations, Pingyin fresh sweet potatoes have developed their own unique varieties. The main types are suited for baking, juicing, and export preservation, such as Beijing 553, Xushu 18, and Jishu 5. The tubers are regularly shaped, medium to small in size, averaging 150–750 grams each. Their shapes are predominantly oblong, long oval, or spindle-shaped, never perfectly round, columnar, or misshapen. The skin is intact, bright, smooth, and clean, free from disease spots, insect damage, peeling, scratches, freezing damage, or mold. Colors include egg yolk yellow, purple-red, bright red, and purple-black. The flesh may be egg yolk or orange-red, milky white, or purple-black. When eaten raw, they are crisp, sweet, and flavorful with high sugar content; when cooked, they are fragrant, sweet, soft, and fluffy, with delicate texture and a chestnut-like sweetness.  2. Internal Quality Indicators: The internal quality indicators of Pingyin fresh sweet potatoes must meet the hygiene and physicochemical standards set by the Ministry of Agriculture’s NY/T5304—2005 for pollution-free sweet potatoes. They are rich in starch, protein, soluble sugars, carbohydrates, various types of dietary fiber, vitamins, amino acids, trace elements, and mineral nutrients. The starch content ranges from 15–18%, protein 1–1.5%, total sugar >12%, and vitamin C 25–28mg/100g, all significantly higher than similar products from other regions. They also possess the unique flavor and taste characteristic of Pingyin fresh sweet potatoes.  3. Safety Requirements: Pingyin fresh sweet potatoes intended for market or export must meet the hygiene and physicochemical standards outlined in the Ministry of Agriculture’s *Pollution-Free Food – Sweet Potatoes* (NY/T5304—2005). They must be harvested and processed according to the *Quality and Processing Packaging Operation Specifications for Export-Preserved Sweet Potatoes* (YES/QMSC/SD01:2007/AO) established by the Pingyin Shouyuan Sweet Potato Professional Cooperative. Products that fall under the prohibited sales criteria specified in Article 33 of China’s *Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law* may not be sold on the market.