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The Safety and Quality of Staple Root and Tuber Crops: A Review on Hazards, Detection Methods, and Mitigation Strategies
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This review systematically examined safety hazards, detection methods, and mitigation strategies for staple root and tuber crops including potatoes, cassava, and yams. Covered hazards included pesticides, heavy metals, and emerging contaminants like microplastics that can accumulate in these staple foods.
Staple root and tuber crops (SRTCs), including potatoes, cassava, sweet potatoes, yams, and taros, play vital roles in global nutrition. However, they present significant safety hazards, which poses threats to human health, have garnered widespread public concern, and consequently constrain the further development and utilization of SRTCs. This review systematically examines recent advances in quality and safety control for SRTCs, with a particular focus on the progress and challenges in detection methods and mitigation strategies for the associated hazards. It further proposes the establishment of an integrated farm-to-fork quality control system for SRTCs. This review identifies shared hazard profiles (endogenous toxins, heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, acrylamide, microplastics) across SRTCs and highlights key strategies for mitigation. Significant advancements in rapid detection technologies (sensors, immunoassays, spectral imaging) offer enhanced sensitivity and field applicability compared to traditional methods. Crucially, establishing an integrated farm-to-fork quality control system, incorporating genetic improvement, optimized cultivation/postharvest practices, and innovative processing, is essential for comprehensive hazard reduction. Future research priorities include multiomics approaches, rhizosphere microbiome engineering, and Industry 4.0 integration to further enhance SRTCs safety and utilization. Our work aims to enhance the safety and quality of SRTCs, thereby promoting their broader development and utilization.
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