Abstract

VARIABILITY IN NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF SOME UNDERUTILIZED EDIBLE AROIDS FOUND IN HILLY TERRAIN OF ASSAM STATE OF INDIA

A. Sarma*, R. Burhagohain, R. P. Barman, S. K. Dey, R. Phukan, P. Sarmah and P. Medhi.

ABSTRACT

Aroids are important root crop of the tropics grown for its edible corms. It plays a significant role in the livelihood of millions of relatively poor people in under developed countries. The corm is an excellent source of carbohydrate, protein, minerals and vitamins. The objective of the present study was to evaluate nutritional and nutraceutical properties, mineral and microelement content in certain underutilized edible aroid corms from Assam state of India. Nutritionally, all the variants were found to be rich in carbohydrate, protein, crude fibre and ascorbic acid. In C. esculenta (Tekala kochu) the Carbohydrate (25.0±0.34%), protein (4.39±0.1 %), fat (0.95±0.2 %) and flavanoid content (9.04±0.0 μgQE/mg) were found in higher amount. Thus, crude fibre (5.0±0.05%) and total mineral in the form of ash contents (7.3±0.05%) were found higher in C. esculenta (Bon kochu). Again, the ascorbic acid (112.87.02mg/100g dry weight) and total phenolic content (34.3±0.12μgGAE/mg) found higher in X. violeceum (Krishna kochu). The micro-nutrient contents such as calcium (2.53μg/g)and zinc (0.74μg/g) found higher in X. sagittifolium (Radha kochu); Fe (1.05μg/g) found higher in A. macrorrhiza and followed by C. esculenta (Bon kochu)with an amount of0.68μg/g. For antioxidant activity, methanol extracts showed a positive correlation between contents like total phenolics, flavanoids and ascorbic acid; with the increase of these contents, the antioxidant activity of the of all the edible aroid samples taken for present study also increases. Among the investigated aroid variants, C. esculenta (Bon kochu) exhibits highest antioxidant activity (92.36±0.1 μg/g), having the potentiality to be used as food antioxidants.

Keywords: Alocasia, Colocasia, Xanthosoma, Nutraceutical analysis, Assam.