Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burkill: Uses and bioactivity

Abstract

Dioscorea esculenta (Dioscoreaceae) has been long used as an alternative food ingredient and traditional medicine. This panel aims to examine the use of D. esculenta as a food ingredient, traditional medicine and its bioactivity. The research method uses a literature review on various research reports, books, journals obtained online at Google Scholar by using the keywords D. esculenta, uses, and bioactivity D. esculenta. The tubers of D. esculenta are an alternative source of alternative carbohydrates and have been traded in traditional markets, but the supply is relatively small and decreasing. The nutritional content of tuber flour is protein (7.19%), fat (1.10%) dietary fiber (10.16%) inulin (7.49%), and total starch content (71.78%). Ethnomedicinally, D. esculenta tubers are used as antifatigue, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, anti-spasmodic and immune. The bioactivity of D. esculenta is anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic mellitus, anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-fertility and anti-cancer. The D. esculenta tubers are very potential to be developed as an alternative food ingredient because they have a good glycemic index and are able to overcome diabetes mellitus.

Effects of Low-Dose Kinetin, 2,4-D and Monochromatic Light Conditions on Flavonoid Content in Callus Culture of Dioscorea esculenta

“…Previous studies show that D. esculenta tuber contains high flavonoid contents up to 12.4 ± 0.46 mg/100 g and alkaloids reaching 1.89 ± 0.02 mg/100 g [11]. These results emphasize the potential ability of D. esculenta tubers as a source of potential secondary metabolites for therapeutic agents, such as antioxidants, immunomodulators, prevention of metabolic diseases (hypercholesterolemia, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and obesity), inflammation, and cancer [12].…”