EVALUATION OF THE CHEMICAL-COMPOSITION OF FRESH AND STORED EDIBLE AROIDS

The chemical compositions of 32 cultivars of two edible aroid species (Colocasia esculenta var antiquorum and Xanthosoma sagittifolium) were determined. Mean values obtained for both species in g kg-1 dry weight were: crude protein 37.5-73.6, total fat 0.9-8.7, ash 28.7-77.7, crude fibre 4.3-42.0, total sugars 5.9-42.5 and starch 509.1-705.7. The main sugars identified by HPLC were fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose. The amino acids with the highest concentrations were aspartic acid, glutamic acid and arginine. A significant reduction in starch content (to 39.8-47.4 g kg-1) and increase in total sugars content (to 8.0-11.6 g kg-1) occurred during the storage of cormels for two weeks under tropical ambient conditions (24-29-degrees-C; 86-98% RH). No significant differences (P greater-than-or-equal-to 0.05) between fresh and stored cormels were found in crude protein and amino acid contents.