Vol. 6, Issue 9 (2017)

Author(s):
Helen Soibam, Victor Singh Ayam and Surajit Mitra

Abstract:
The present study determines the proximate nutritional and antinutritional compositions of twelve yam cultivars collected at full mature stage i.e. nine months after planting, from All India Coordinated Research Project on Tuber Crops, grown in the research field at Mondouri, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Nadia, West Bengal, India. Samples were quantified for proximate contents such as carbohydrate, starch, total soluble sugar, protein, fat, vitamin C, β-carotene, antioxidant, phenol, tannin, oxalate and trypsin inhibitor using standard methods. A significant difference (p<0.05) existed between the means of the proximate compositions among the yam cultivars and were found to have high nutrient and low antinutrient values. Antioxidant activities of all the cultivars were high and range from (78.6–85.7)%. The Dioscorea alata cultivars show comparatively higher carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitaminC, β-carotene, and antioxidant activities than D. rotundata and within the D. alata, the cultivar BCDA-5 shows comparatively higher nutritional values and highest antioxidant activity. Therefore, Dioscorea tubers and especially D. alata, and cultivars BCDA-5 and BCDA-8 can be recommended as a reliable food and energy security crops.