Determination of Phytochemical, Proximate, Mineral and Vitamin Values in Various Parts of Five Varieties of Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott

C.A. Ezeabara¹ , C.U. Okeke²

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.7 , Issue.4 , pp.62-68, Apr-2021

Online published on Apr 30, 2021

Copyright © C.A. Ezeabara, C.U. Okeke . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Araceae. Determinations of the phytochemical, proximate, mineral and vitamin contents of C. esculenta var. antiquorum, C. esculenta var. esculenta, ‘kochuo’, ‘nwine’ and ‘ogeriobosi’ parts were conducted using standard procedures. Significance of any differences was measured using Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT). Highest concentrations of saponins were detected in the leaves, petioles and roots of the five C. esculenta varieties. Moreover, highest values of crude protein, vitamins A, B1, B2, C and E were present in the leaves of all the varieties. High levels of calcium were found in the leaves and petioles of all the varieties. Considering the phytochemical and nutrient values in the leaves and petioles of these C. esculenta varieties, their utilization as food and drug in ethno-medicine is highly encouraged. In addition, they could be regarded as good sources of these medicinal and nutritional agents.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Phytochemicals, Alkaloids, Saponins, Calcium, Vitamin C

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