Background: Sweetpotato ( Ipomoea batatas L.) is one of the seven major food crops grown worldwide, with 70-75% of production in China.Cold stress often can cause protein expression pattern and substance contents variations for tuberous roots of sweetpotato during low-temperature storage. Recently, we developed proteometabolic profiles of the fresh sweetpotatoes (cv. Xinxiang) in an attempt to discern the cold stress-responsive mechanism of tuberous root crops during post-harvest storage. Results: For roots stored under 4℃ condition, the activities of SOD, CAT, APX, O 2 .- producing rate, proline and especially soluble sugar contents were significantly increased as compared to sweetpotatoes exposed to room temperature (13℃). Most of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were implicated in pathways related to metabolic pathway (~22%), especially phenylpropanoids (~10%) and followed by starch and sucrose metabolism (~3%). α-amylase, sucrose synthase and fructokinase were significantly up-regulated in starch and sucrose metabolism, while β-glucosidase, glucose-1-phosphate adenylyl-transferase and starch synthase were opposite. Furthermore, metabolome profiling revealed that glucosinolate biosynthesis, tropane, piperidine and pyridine alkaloid biosynthesis as well as protein digestion and absorption played a leading role in metabolic pathways of sweetpotato roots. More importantly, leucine, tryptophan, tyrosine, isoleucine and valine were all significantly up-regulated in glucosinolate biosynthesis. Conclusions: Our proteomic and metabolic profile analysis of sweetpotato roots stored at low temperature reveal that the antioxidant enzymes activities, proline and especially soluble sugar content were significantly increased. Most of the DEPs were implicated in phenylpropanoids and followed by starch and sucrose metabolism. Glucosinolate biosynthesis played a leading role in metabolic pathways of sweetpotao roots. More importantly, leucine, tryptophan, tyrosine, isoleucine and valine were all significantly up-regulated in glucosinolate biosynthesis.