Phytochemical and antioxidant properties of elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) based RTC valorized product
1Department of Food Processing Technology, College of Food and Dairy Technology, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Sciences University, Chennai- 600 052. 2Department of Livestock Products Technology (Dairy Science), Madras Veterinary College, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Sciences University, Vepery, Chennai- 600 007. 3Department of Food Safety and Quality Assurance, College of Food and Dairy Technology, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Sciences University, Chennai- 600 052. Corresponding e-mail: mathanghisoma@gmail.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2025.v27i03.94
Full text PDF Elephant foot yam (Amorphophallus paeoniifolius), often referred to as the “King of Tuber Crops” due to its high nutritive value and low cost, has recently gained attention for its valorization into a novel ready-to-cook product enriched with health-beneficial phytochemicals. Ready-To-Cook (RTC) valorized convenience product was prepared from elephant foot yam and packed in vacuum-pack frozen form. From the phytochemical analysis, flavonoid was detected on the ethanol extracts of the raw yam and the valorized frozen product of aqueous extract, but phenolic compounds were found on the raw and frozen as well as fried forms. Raw yam chloroform extracts did not have terpenoids, while frozen valorized chloroform extracts did not contain cardiac glycosides. Most extracts also revealed no detection results concerning tannins, except for two, whereas saponins were positive for approximately half of the extracts tested, and most were not detected for phlobatannins. Quantitative analysis of the changes showed a decrease of phenol (29.6 %), tannins (22 %) and phytic acid (15.79 %) in RTC Elephant foot yam valorized product after frying when compared to the fresh frozen product. The DPPH assay revealed a notably high potential for health benefits (IC50 value - 75.28 µg/L). The phytochemicals and antioxidants it contains are key elements in preventing disease and maintaining health. The other additional benefits were that this product contains 2.35 g/ 100 g of dietary fibre and a total protein value of 17 g/100 g.
