Taro Roots: An Underexploited Root Crop

Abstract

Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a root crop that remains largely underutilized and undervalued despite its abundance and affordability. In comparison to other root vegetables, such as potatoes, yams, carrots, and cassava, taro stands out as a plentiful and low-cost option. As global hunger increases, particularly in Africa, it becomes essential to address food insecurity by maximizing the potential of existing food resources, including taro, and developing improved food products derived from it. Taro possesses a wealth of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, thereby making it a valuable nutritional source. Additionally, while not a significant protein source, taro exhibits higher protein content than many other root crops. Consequently, utilizing taro to create food products, such as plant-based milk alternatives, frozen desserts, and yogurt substitutes, could play a crucial role in raising awareness and increasing taro production. Unfortunately, taro has been stigmatized in various cultures, which has led to its neglect as a food crop. Therefore, this review aims to highlight the substantial potential of taro as an economical source of dietary energy by exploring the rich fiber, potassium, vitamin C, protein, and other micronutrient content of taro, and providing a foundation for the formulation of novel food products. Furthermore, this paper assesses the nutritional benefits of taro, its current utilization, and its antinutritional properties. It emphasizes the need for further research to explore the various applications of taro and improve on-farm processing conditions for industrial purposes.

Complete mitochondrial genome assembly and comparative analysis of Colocasia esculenta

“…Pentameric and hexameric repeats were the least abundant, accounting for only 3.82% and 1.27%, respectively. T monomers represented 51.35% (19) of the total monomeric SSRs, while AT repeats accounted for 19.44% (7) of the total dimeric SSRs. Among the SSR repeat units, all monomers consisted of A/T, and 44.44% of the dimeric repeat units contained AT/TA.…”

“…C. esculenta is rich in nutrients. The carbohydrates provided by its tubers rank second globally among plants [7]. C. esculenta has a greater starch content than potatoes and sweet potatoes, making it the most cost-effective starch source in the food industry [8].…”

PROXIMATE ANALYSIS AND MINERAL PROFILE OF TARO (Colocasia esculenta) IN EMBU, KENYA

“…Controlling the moisture content helps in maintaining the quality and extending the shelf life of taro tubers. Furthermore, moisture content can result in a soft texture and reduced crispiness when cooked or processed (Boampong et al, 2019;Ferdaus et al, 2023). Moisture content plays a significant role in the proximate analysis of taro tubers.…”

“…Moisture content plays a significant role in the proximate analysis of taro tubers. A lower moisture content (< 80 %) is helpful for transport and storage of corms at ambient temperatures (Wondimu Fufa et al, 2021;Ferdaus et al, 2023).…”

“…Taro has been reported to have the highest dietary fibre content among tropical crops, and hence numerous food preparations have been made with taro (Ferdaus et al, 2023). Specialty food preparations can prevent allergic conditions.…”