Physical methods for preserving agricultural products without using chemicals or radiation are increasingly being explored. The effects of high-voltage alternating electric field (HVAEF) on the physiology and biochemical processes of sweet potato roots during cold storage for 60 d were investigated in this study. Roots were treated with HVAEF (4 kV m⁻¹) and stored at 13 ± 1 °C and 85–90 % relative humidity. Studies on sweet potato root quality, antioxidant metabolic pathway, and sugar metabolic pathway showed that HVAEF treatment could maintain the integrity of cell membrane, reduce respiration rate, and delay the loss of starch and water in the sweet potato roots. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that HVAEF treatment was helpful in maintaining the integrity of starch granules. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that HVAEF treatment could affect the distribution and migration of water in sweet potato. Furthermore, the hydrolysis of starch and loss of water in sweet potatoes were effectively inhibited. These results implied that HVAEF could not only inhibit the activities of metabolism-associated enzymes, but also prevent enzymatic browning, maintain nutritional quality, and delay starch degradation and reduce the accumulation of reducing sugars during cold storage. The current findings suggest that HVAEF is a promising technique for the preservation of quality in sweet potato roots during postharvest.

越来越多地探索在不使用化学品或辐射的情况下保存农产品的物理方法。研究高压交变电场(HVAEF)对冷藏60 d红薯根系生理生化过程的影响。根用 HVAEF (4 kV m ^-1) 并在 13 ± 1 °C 和 85–90 % 相对湿度下储存。对甘薯根质量、抗氧化代谢途径和糖代谢途径的研究表明，HVAEF处理可以保持细胞膜的完整性，降低呼吸频率，延缓甘薯根部淀粉和水分的流失。扫描电子显微镜分析表明，HVAEF 处理有助于保持淀粉颗粒的完整性。核磁共振分析表明，HVAEF 处理会影响甘薯中水分的分布和迁移。此外，有效抑制了红薯淀粉的水解和失水。这些结果表明 HVAEF 不仅可以抑制代谢相关酶的活性，还可以防止酶促褐变，保持营养质量，延缓淀粉降解，减少冷藏过程中还原糖的积累。目前的研究结果表明，HVAEF 是一种在收获后保存甘薯根质量的有前途的技术。