Mapping sweet potato global research for sustainable food systems: a bibliometric perspective.

The dataset brings together scientific publications on sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, with the purpose of examining how research connects the crop’s biochemical properties to sustainability-oriented innovation. It covers studies on bioactive compounds and their health benefits, food waste management, circular economy strategies, by-product valorization, and sustainable cultivation practices. Bibliometric techniques such as keyword co-occurrence, authorship and collaboration network analysis, citation pattern evaluation, and thematic clustering were applied to map the research landscape. Findings show a rapidly growing body of literature over the past decade, with strong interdisciplinary links among biology, chemistry, and food science. However, collaboration networks remain fragmented, and high-income countries disproportionately dominate citation impact, reflecting structural inequalities. Overall, the dataset highlights how sweet potato research is consolidating as a multidisciplinary field aligned with global sustainability goals, while also pointing to opportunities for more equitable international collaboration and integration of biotechnology with environmental sustainability.