Re: Okinawan purple sweet potatoes

[Guest guest]

Francesca,

Could you let us know the name of the store, for those of us in the

Washington, D.C. area?

Tony

>

> Just by chance, while shopping in a Chinese supermarket the other day, I

> came upon the (previously discussed here) purple sweet potatoes that

they

> eat in Okinawa. Or at least used to eat before the younger generation

> started altering the traditional diet there. This is the first time

I had

> ever seen any. The outside purple color is unmistakable.

>

> They are delicious. I plan to serve them as often as I can get to this

> grocery (about 6 miles away) to purchase them. While the outside is

purple,

> the inside of these sweet potatoes is white as opposed to the orange

color

> we are used to. The taste is sweet, something between a regular

potato and

> a yam.

>

[Guest guest]

If a sweet potato is orange on the inside, isn't it actually a

mislabeled yam? Yams are significantly higher in calories and

somewhat lower in nutrients than sweet potatoes, which have yellow-

white interiors. I've seen yams labeled as sweet potatoes in many

stores, including Whole Foods (a.k.a. " whole paycheck " ).

-Dave

>

> Just by chance, while shopping in a Chinese supermarket the other

day, I

> came upon the (previously discussed here) purple sweet potatoes

that they

> eat in Okinawa. Or at least used to eat before the younger

generation

> started altering the traditional diet there. This is the first time

I had

> ever seen any. The outside purple color is unmistakable.

>

> They are delicious. I plan to serve them as often as I can get to

this

> grocery (about 6 miles away) to purchase them. While the outside

is purple,

> the inside of these sweet potatoes is white as opposed to the

orange color

> we are used to. The taste is sweet, something between a regular

potato and

> a yam.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

" Varieties:

There are seven major varieties of sweet potatoes: Jersey, Kotobuki

(Japanese), Okinawan (Purple), Papa Doc, Beauregard, Garnet, Jewel,

and the newest named variety, Covington. The last four varieties are

regionally called " yams " in the United States. "

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato

Also, for US varieties:

http://www.sweetpotatoplant.com/potatoes.html

Rodney.

> >

> > Just by chance, while shopping in a Chinese supermarket the other

day, I

> > came upon the (previously discussed here) purple sweet potatoes

that

> they

> > eat in Okinawa. Or at least used to eat before the younger

generation

> > started altering the traditional diet there. This is the first

time

> I had

> > ever seen any. The outside purple color is unmistakable.

> >

> > They are delicious. I plan to serve them as often as I can get

to this

> > grocery (about 6 miles away) to purchase them. While the outside

is

> purple,

> > the inside of these sweet potatoes is white as opposed to the

orange

> color

> > we are used to. The taste is sweet, something between a regular

> potato and

> > a yam.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Scientifically speaking, sweetpotatoes and yams are from different

plant groups. But we have managed to muddle definitions and labels.

Here's a good reference:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-23-a.html

-Dave

>

>

> A search of our archives with the words ³sweet potatoes² will yield

previous

> discussions of the Okinawan staple ­ the purples. One example is

Rod¹s post

> 24899 this past january. There have been other discussions

including from

> Eddie who is married to an Okinawan and lived there for a

time.

> Search his name for his comments.

>

>

> From: Rodney <perspect1111@...>

> Reply-< >

> Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 09:48:59 -0000

> < >

> Subject: [ ] Re: Okinawan purple sweet potatoes

>

>

>

>

>

> Hi folks:

>

> " Varieties:

>

> There are seven major varieties of sweet potatoes: Jersey, Kotobuki

> (Japanese), Okinawan (Purple), Papa Doc, Beauregard, Garnet, Jewel,

> and the newest named variety, Covington. The last four varieties are

> regionally called " yams " in the United States. "

>

> From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato

>

> Also, for US varieties:

>

> http://www.sweetpotatoplant.com/potatoes.html

>

> Rodney.

>

[Guest guest]

My interest in sweet potatoes with purple flesh

was generated by research that suggests there are

health benefits connected with the anthocyanins

that cause the purple color. For instance

Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2005 May;69(5):979-88.

Antioxidative activity of anthocyanins from purple sweet potato, Ipomoera

batatas cultivar

Ayamurasaki.Kano M, Takayanagi T, Harada K, Makino K, Ishikawa F.

Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research, Tokyo.

mitsuyoshi-kano@...

We evaluated the antioxidative activity of anthocyanins from an extract of

the tuber of purple sweet potato (PSP) (Ipomoea batatas cultivar

Ayamurasaki). Anthocyanins from PSP showed stronger

1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity than

anthocyanins from red cabbage, grape skin, elderberry, or purple corn, and

eight major components of the anthocyanins from PSP showed higher levels of

activity than ascorbic acid. In PSP anthocyanin-injected rats and PSP

beverage-administered volunteers, DPPH radical-scavenging activity in the

urine increased. The elevation of plasma transaminase activities induced by

carbon tetrachloride was depressed in rats administered PSP anthocyanin

solution. Two components, cyanidin

3-O-(2-O-(6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranocyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoide)-5-O-bet\

a-D-glucopyranoside

and peonidin

3-O-(2-O-(6-O-(E)-caffeoyl-beta-D-glucopyranocyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoide)-5-O-bet\

a-D-glucopyranoside,

which were detected in the plasma, protected low density lipoprotein from

oxidation at a physiological concentration. These results indicate that PSP

anthocyanins have antioxidative activity in vivo as well as in vitro.

PMID: 15914919

and

Antioxidant and memory enhancing effects of purple sweet potato anthocyanin

and cordyceps mushroom extract.

Cho J, Kang JS, Long PH, Jing J, Back Y, Chung KS.

College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, Korea.

The effects of purple sweet potato anthocyanin (SPA) and Cordyceps mushroom

extract (CME) on lipid peroxidation, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)

radicals and cognitive deficits were examined. Both SPA and CME exhibited

DPPH radical scavenging activities with similar potency. In contrast, only

SPA was shown to effectively inhibit lipid peroxidation initiated by Fe2+

and ascorbic acid in rat brain homogenates. Furthermore, SPA markedly

enhanced cognitive performance, assessed by passive avoidance test in

ethanol-treated mice. Combined treatments with SPA and CME did not

significantly influence the effects of SPA alone. These results demonstrate

that anthocyanin prepared from purple sweet potato exhibits memory enhancing

effects, which may be associated with its antioxidant properties.

PMID: 14609130 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Dave

's Crossroads, VA