Abstract
Maize is a predominant staple crop in sub-saharan Africa. Ethiopia is among the major maize producers in Africa and ranked third next to South Africa and Nigeria. The per capita consumption of maize in Ethiopia is about 60 kg per annum. Maize is an important crop to many African countries contributing to a significant daily energy intake. In addition to serving as a critical source of macro- and micronutrients, maize is also a rich source of many phytochemicals including carotenoid. However, there is limited information about the nutritional content of the different maize varieties growing in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to compare nutritional composition among six yellow maize varieties and one selected white maize variety cultivated in Ethiopia. Maize varieties were collected from Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, Melkasa and Bako center. Proximate and mineral composition analysis was carried out using AOAC method. Total carotenoid level was investigated by UV Spectrophotometer. Proximate composition of maize varieties revealed in the range of moisture content (9.42 - 11.45%), total ash (1.37 - 1.74%), crude fat (5.13 - 7.22%), crude protein (9.69 - 15.30%), crude fiber (1.62 - 3.45%), carbohydrate (62.13 - 69.99%) and Energy (365.93 to 385.82 kal/100g). The mineral content ranged for Fe, Zn and Ca was 2.34 - 3.73 mg/100g, 2.31 - 2.93 mg/100g and 31.25 - 48.1mg/100g respectively. The minimum total carotenoid in the yellow maize varieties was 11.43 (Melkassa 7) and the maximum was 27.62 μg/g (Melkassa 1q). No carotenoid was detected in the white maize variety (BH 660). There was significant difference (P<0.05) among maize varieties in total carotenoid. Yellow maize varieties contain high amount of carotenoid than white maize varieties. Promotion of yellow maize varieties is vital to enhance antioxidant intake that reduce risk of diseases such as cardiovascular and cancer without altering intake of other nutrients.
Highlights
Maize or corn (Zea mays L.) is globally known as queen of cereals because of its highest genetic yield potential
Ethiopia is among the major maize producers in Africa and ranked third next to South Africa and Nigeria [10]
There is limited information about the nutritional content of the different maize varieties growing in Ethiopia
Summary
Maize or corn (Zea mays L.) is globally known as queen of cereals because of its highest genetic yield potential. Maize is the only food cereal crop that can be grown in diverse seasons, ecologies and uses. It is cultivated globally on more than 160 million hectare area across 166 countries [5]. Ethiopia is among the major maize producers in Africa and ranked third next to South Africa and Nigeria [10]. In Ethiopia the crop is widely cultivated at altitudes ranging from 1500–2200 meters above sea level of Western, Southwestern, and Southern parts of the country. Maize production takes significant share of cereals and grain in any production year Among cereals, maize ranked second to tef in area coverage (21.7% for maize and 27.4% for tef), and first in total production (28.5% for maize and 19.9% for tef) and productivity [17]
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