Abstract
With escalating populace pressure and fast exhaustion of natural resources, it has become extremely vital to diversify the present time agriculture with the cultivation of some wild varieties of tubers, rhizomes and corms in order to meet various human nutrient needs. However, information regarding fatty acid composition is inadequate. The purpose of the present study was to examine the fatty acid composition of six samples of wild corms (Alocasia macrorrhiza, Amorphophallus paeoniifolius var. campanulata, A. sylvaticus, Colocasia esculenta, Xanthosoma sagittifolium, X. violaceum two species of rhizomes (Canna indica and Maranta arundinacea) and three species of tubers (Asparagus racemosus, Nymphaea pubescens and N. rubra) in order to assess the nutritional and biochemical significance. The total lipid was extracted from the corms, rhizomes and tubers using chloroform and methanol mixture in the ratio of 2:1 (w/v). Methyl esters were prepared from the lipids. Fatty acid analysis was performed by gas chromatography. Among the investigated species, corm of X. sagittifolium registered the highest amount of palmitic acid. Similarly, tubers of A. racemosus exhibited the highest amount of linoleic acid. The present investigation demonstrated that the corms, rhizomes and tubers act as a good source of fatty acid.
Highlights
Reports on fatty acid contents of other common varieties of yam and wild yam are available (Opute and Osagie, 1978; Kouassi et al, 1988; Muzac-Tucker et al, 1993; Alzoie et al, 2010; Shajeela et al, 2013). Their fatty acids may be beneficial to human beings, since plant fatty acids have become a major player in the alleviation of most human diseases
The fatty acid composition of underutilized corms, rhizomes and tubers ranged from 1.5% to 34.31%
Corms of Xanthosoma sagittifolium contained a high amount of palmitic acid (31.57%)
Summary
India has one of the major concentrations of tribal population in the world. Forest plays a vital role in the economy as well as in the daily needs of the tribals. In times of resources when the staple food is in short supply, the tribals collect many types of wild roots and tubers to supplement their meagre food available at home (Vidyarthi, 1987). Reports on fatty acid contents of other common varieties of yam and wild yam are available (Opute and Osagie, 1978; Kouassi et al, 1988; Muzac-Tucker et al, 1993; Alzoie et al, 2010; Shajeela et al, 2013). Their fatty acids may be beneficial to human beings, since plant fatty acids have become a major player in the alleviation of most human diseases. For the first time in the present investigation, an attempt was made to understand the fatty acid composition of underutilized corms, rhizomes and tubers
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
