Proximate, Anti-Nutrients and Elemental Constituents of C. esculenta

Abstract

Cocoyam (C. esculenta) is an aroid that is grown most importantly for edible corms. C. esculenta is used by the locals, it has been noted that when used as feed, it causes swelling of the lips, mouth and throat. The aim of this work was to investigate the proximate, anti-nutrients and elemental constituents of C. esculenta. Proximate, elemental and anti-nutrient constituents of C. esculenta were investigated. For the mineral composition Atomic absorption spectrometer was used, while a standard method of analysis by American Organization of Analytical Chemistry was adopted for the proximate analysis and anti-nutrient composition. After the experiment, the data obtained were presented as mean± SD and were subjected to statistical analysis using student T-test, to determine the level of significance at p≤0.05. The results showed that for the two samples, the flour processed with the bark has highest concentrations of carbohydrate and minerals, but the bark has a higher concentration of anti-nutrients which causes swollen lips, scratchiness of throat and astringent taste.