TITLE:
Evaluation of the Value Nutritious Leaves Five Varieties Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Cultivated in Burkina Faso
AUTHORS:
Boampoundi Hélène Ouoba, Amana Metuor Dabire, Sidnooma Véronique Zongo, Hemayoro Sama, Samson Guenne, Renan Ernest Traore, Jacques Simpore
KEYWORDS:
Colocasia esculenta, Nutritional Value, Leaves
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.13 No.10,
October
20,
2022
ABSTRACT: Taro is a perennial herbaceous plant whose large leaves are mainly used
as vegetables in human food in several tropical countries. However, young taro
leaves are not eaten very much in Burkina Faso unlike other countries which
have made them a staple diet. In the present work, we collected leaves of taro
varieties cultivated in the provinces of Comoe and Kenedougou. Our study aimed
to determine the biochemical composition of these leaves in order to detect their nutritional quality. For this purpose,
we first determined the total sugars in our different samples; then quantify
the proteins and finally assay the lipids contained in the leaves of the
different varieties of taro harvested. Analysis of the organic constituents
gave the following results: proteins (186.29
to 265.23 μg EQ/100mg fresh leaves), fats (0.28% to 1.90%), carbohydrates (183.03 to 238.57 μg EG/100mg fresh leaves).
The highest energy value was obtained with the variety BF/CO/06 (1728.71 kcal/kg)
and the lowest with BF/CO/04 (272.15 kcal/kg). This study allowed us to
conclude that the taro leaves (Colocasia esculenta) studied are of nutritional
interest with regard to their biochemical composition.