Zizhong Purple Sweet Potato from Zhenba

Zizhong Purple Sweet Potato from Zhenba

　　Zizhong Purple Sweet Potato from Zhenba is a specialty of Zhenba County, Hanzhong City, Shaanxi Province. In addition to the nutritional components found in regular sweet potatoes, the purple-fleshed variety is rich in selenium and anthocyanins, offering special health benefits and therapeutic properties.

　　The purple sweet potato contains approximately 20% protein, including 18 types of amino acids that are easily digested and absorbed by the human body. It also provides over 10 kinds of mineral elements such as vitamins C, B, A, and phosphorus and iron. French scientist Dr. Masquelier discovered that anthocyanins are a natural and highly effective free radical scavenger. Anthocyanins help prevent and treat over 100 types of diseases, and are regarded as the seventh essential nutrient after water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

　　Purple sweet potatoes are high in fiber. This type of dietary fiber can increase stool volume, promote gastrointestinal motility, clear mucus, trapped gas, and waste material in the intestinal tract, and help eliminate toxic and carcinogenic substances in feces. This contributes to smooth bowel movements, improves digestive circulation, and helps prevent gastrointestinal diseases. The zinc, iron, copper, manganese, calcium, and selenium found in purple sweet potatoes are all natural minerals. Selenium and iron are essential elements for combating fatigue, aging, and anemia in the human body, offering significant health benefits. Selenium is also known as the "king of anti-cancer agents." It is easily absorbed by the body and remains effectively in the blood serum, repairing heart muscle tissue, boosting immunity, eliminating cancer-causing free radicals in the body, inhibiting DNA synthesis and the growth of cancer cells, and helping prevent gastric and liver cancers.

　　The agricultural industry project “Zizhong Purple Sweet Potato from Zhenba,” developed with support from the Zhenba County Poverty Alleviation and Development Office and FuShan Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., won the “Houji Special Award” at the 2009 China Yangling Agricultural Hi-Tech Fair. On September 16, 2010, the organic production and cultivation base for Zhenba Purple Sweet Potatoes successfully passed the on-site inspection and acceptance by the expert inspection team from the Certification Center of Northwest A&F University. In 2010, FuShan Agricultural Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., following organic agricultural production methods, designated nine villages — including Laoqihe Village in Jingyang, Xiaoyang, BaoMiao, and Jianchi towns — as organic Zhenba Purple Sweet Potato production bases. A total of 1,000 mu of organic purple sweet potatoes were developed, bringing the cumulative development area to over 2,000 mu.