The objective of the RTBfoods project is to pinpoint the quality traits that determine the adoption of root, tuber and banana (RTB) varieties developed by breeders according to consumer and farmer preferences. The aim of work package 3 (WP3) of the RTBfoods project is to develop high throughput phenotyping protocols, mainly Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), that could be applied in national and international breeding programs, postharvest processing and quality control procedures. This paper reviews research progress on hyperspectral imaging applied to RTB product characterization. This characterization may concern the quantification of different biochemical constituents, the measurement of physical properties and/or the internal and external defects. This literature review is based on a selection of papers found through Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The search formula used was HSI OR and Cassava (And Yam) (And Banana) (And Potato) (And Sweet Potato) (And Root) OR tuber.