Unraveling anthocyanin accumulation in sweet potatoes with integrated omics

• Purple-fleshed sweet potatoes, anthocyanin-rich staple crop with human health benefits. • Bio-fortified sweet potatoes contribute to improved health and nutrition security. • Molecular markers assist breeding of anthocyanin-rich sweet potato varieties. • Omics techniques enhance the understanding of genetic and environmental regulation of anthocyanin production. • Integrative omics enables targeted crop improvement and functional trait selection. Sweet potato ( Ipomoea batata L) has gained increasing attention in recent years because of its exceptional nutritional value and health benefits. Especially, purple-fleshed sweet potato (PFSP) varieties which are rich in anthocyanin. This review brings an update based on the on transcriptomics and metabolomics strategies to reveal anthocyanin accumulation in sweet potato. The purple-fleshed sweet potato has higher concentration of anthocyanins that are potent antioxidants, with cardio protective, anticancer, antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties. This paper brings together the latest findings regarding anthocyanin biosynthesis and regulation through transcriptomic and metabolomic approaches. The key findings reveal that omics technologies play a key role in deciphering the complex association between environmental and genetic factors that regulate anthocyanin production. The application of the omics has facilitated the identification of molecular markers for breeding purpose increasing anthocyanin content in the plant. These anthocyanin rich sweet potatoes constitute a number of health benefits and prevent different disorders. The baseline message is the vital role of ongoing omics projects in developing high-yielding sweet potato varieties with enhanced anthocyanin content, thus contributing to public health and food security.