Nutritional, Phytochemical and Carbohydrate Profile of Giant Swamp Taro [Cyrtosperma merkusii (Hassk.). Schott

Abstract

Giant swamp taro is an underutilized root crop in the Philippines. The nutrient, phytochemicals, and carbohydrate profile of the processed taro from the cultivated and wild varieties were measured and the storage stability of the flour was determined. The boiled taro from cultivated and wild varieties contained approximately 385.67 and 377.29 kcal, respectively. Beta-carotene and vitamin C contents of the boiled and floured products from wild variety were found to be significantly higher than that from the cultivated variety. However, the iron, zinc and calcium in the boiled cultivated variety was significantly higher than its wild variety. The flour produced from the wild variety were significantly higher in iron, zinc and calcium than the cultivated variety. The boiled and floured cultivated taro had significantly higher amounts of phenols and flavonoids while significantly higher amounts of tannins and saponins were measured in the boiled and floured wild taro. The processed products from both local taro varieties had > 75% antioxidant activity. The boiled and floured cultivated taro were found to contain significantly higher amounts of amylose, dietary fiber and resistant starch compared with products from wild taro variety. The glycemic index of processed forms of taro made from the two local varieties had a range of 64-70% (intermediate).