Sweet Potato, a Crop to Respond to Climate Change: Domestic Production Trend and its Industrial Application

As the average temperature on Earth increases due to global climate change, crops are further needed to overcome this issue. Since sweet potato has high yield potential, can grow in harsh environments, and contains abundant nutrients, it is a potential substitute food in response to environmental crises. Compared to grains such as rice and barley, sweet potato has a lower glycemic load and contains various natural antioxidants, showing a variety of physiological functions. Thus, sweet potato is in the spotlight as a healthy food. Although domestic sweet potato production continued to decrease from 1990 to 2010, its production was maintained or slightly increased until 2020 due to the changes in consumers’ dietary habits that emphasize health. In this regard, steamed or roasted sweet potatoes were consumed as a snack substitute in the previous eating form. Furthermore, sweet potato starch has been used in various industries, including food. Therefore, this study intends to discuss the value of sweet potatoes as food, the production trend and cultivation method of sweet potatoes in South Korea, and the industrial application of sweet potatoes.