Effects of Processing on the Nutrient Composition of False Yam (<i>Icacina trichantha</i>) Flour

Abstract

False yam (Icacina trichantha) tubers were processed into different flour samples: the raw; steeped-sun-dried; steepedoven- dried; blanched-sun-dried and blanched-oven-dried samples. The nutrient composition: proximate and mineral elements  contents of the flour samples were studied. The lipid, protein and carbohydrate contents of the samples ranged between 1.77 to 5.76%, 3.01 to 60.3% and 85.56 to 93.31% respectively, while the energy values ranged between 394.27 to 412.46 Kcal.  Concentration of potassium, sodium, calcium and iron (among others) ranged between 20.835 and 31.51 mg/l, 2.409 and 18.890 mg/l, 90.250 and 112.550 mg/l to 0.777 and 2.840 mg/l respectively. False yam tuber, apart from being a good source of energy for man, is rich in mineral elements (potassium, sodium and calcium). Processing affected the levels of nutrients, in the flour samples.

Keywords: Processing, nutrient, false yam tuber.