Sweet potato is a major root crop utilized widely for diverse food applications. Processing enables the usability of sweet potato in various forms for longer durations. Post-harvest processing of sweet potato involves grading and sorting, cleaning, peeling, drying or secondary processing and storage. Commercial utility of sweet potato is comprised of conventional and composite ingredient-based foods, starch, and industrial products. This review outlines the post-harvest processing practices and utilization of sweet potato. The present status of the sweet potato industry, processes, products, and machines, have been featured. In addition, challenging issues in the small-scale processing of sweet potato are discussed. Abbreviations: %: percentage, °C: degree Celsius, cm: centimeter, cv: Cultivar, e.g: example, g: gram, h: hour, Hg: Mercury, Hz: hertz, kg: kilogram, kGy: kilo gray, kPa: kilopascal, kV: kilovolt, L: liter, LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein Cholesterol, m: meter, MAP: Modified Atmosphere Package, MHz: Megahertz, min: minute, mm: millimeter, mol: mole, MPa: Mega Pascal, MW: Megawatt, NaOH: Sodium hydroxide, nm: nanometer, Pa: Pascal, RH: Relative Humidity, rpm: revolutions per minute, s: second, sp: Species, t: metric ton, USA: United States of America, USDA: United States Department of Agriculture, v: volume, w: weight

Coconut skim milk is the main by-product in the virgin coconut oil industry, nutritious, but under exploited. This work aims to develop a process protocol for ready-to-serve (RTS) flavored coconut milk employing retort pouch processing. The effect of retort processing parameters such as temperature (80–100°C) and time (10–30 min) on sample quality were studied and optimized using Response Surface Methodology by considering the organoleptic and physicochemical properties. Results showed that retorting at 85°C for 30 min offered the best sensory scores for de-fatted coconut milk. The retort processing enhanced the microbial safety of the flavored-RTS during storage with a minor change in microbial loads and with minimal changes in the quality.