Nutritional Value of Dioscorea Bulbifera (Aerial Yam)
Chapter One
PURPOSE OF STUDY
This study is to help you find out the nutritive content of the aerial yam being one of the food eaten by people of the old which is their secret for healthy living and to inspire many people to revisit most the crop being cultivated and harvested by people of old and more light should be thrown on them.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
Dioscorea bulbitera is one of the various species of yam. Yam is the common name of some species in the genus dioscorea, they are perennial herbacocous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in African, Asia, Latin America etc. yam is a versatile vegetable it can be barbecued (using less heat). Roasted, fried, boiled, etc. yam are stable crops of the Igbo people in Nigeria in their language it is known as “ji” and they commemorate it by having a yam festival as a symbolism of fresh crop and availability of fresh food in abundance all over Nigeria. The new yam festival is known as “iri-ji” or iwa-ji” depending on the dialect. Yams are primary agricultural, and commonly important in west Africa, where over 95% of worlds yam crop is harvested, they are important for survival, they serve as a means of lively hood for some people. There are over 600 varieties of yam and 95% of it are grown in African (library congress 2011). Example of the varieties of yam are the white yam which is known as dioscorea volundata, Chinese yam (D. oposita), yellow (D. cayenesis) water yam (D. alatal) lesser yam (D. esculenta) Bitter yam (D. dumetorum), cush yam (D. trifida) and Air potato (D. bulbifera) etc. (key 1937)
- bulbitera is a yam species it is also know as varahi in Sanskrit, kaachi in malayalam, Dukkar kand in maraitu, Aldo in some part of Igbo land in Nigeria or Aerial yam the English name or Air potato. The Air potato plant is a nature of Africa and Asia; it is an invasive species in many tropical including Florida (Duke et al 1993). The Air potato was introduce to the Americans from African in 1905 it was introduced in Florida due to its ability to displace native species and disrupt natural processes such as fire and water flow air potato has been listed as one of the Florida’s most invasive plant spp since 1993 and was placed on the Florida Noxious weed list by the Florida Department of Agriculture and consumer since (1999)
Roots and Tuber Crops
Root and tuber crops, including cassava, sweet potato, potato and yam are the most important food crops for direct consumption in Africa (FAO, 2016). These four crops account for about 95% of the total root and tuber crops production in Africa and produce more than 240 million tons annually on 23 million hectares (FAO, 2014). They have short growing cycle which enables them for flexible planting and harvesting, and also permits quick production of foods to augment “hunger months “that is, a period of several months between harvests when people lack enough food to satisfy their hunger and meet their basic caloric and nutritional needs according to (Sanginga, 2015).
In many developing countries (FAO, 2014) root crops have national consideration benefit and potentials and an increase in production and consumption of domestically produced food staple such as roots and tubers will increase food supplies and broaden the food base of household and national level.
CHAPTER THREE
MATERIAL AND METHOD
EPT. DESIGN: Dioscorea bulbifera (aerial yam) was gotten from Akuna, Oru-East L.G.A of Imo State the sample was taken down to the laboratory of the National Institute for food Crop Research, Umudike Umuahia, Abia State for analysis.
PREPARATION OF SAMPLE
The sample was washed thoroughly with tap H20 to remove grifts, dirt and spoil parts. The clean tubers were sliced and allowed for the complete drying in the oven at 700c and was grind to a fine powder.
PROXIMATE ANALYSIS
Proximate comprises of different type of analysed such as fat, moisture, crude fiber, protein ash and carbohydrate. The method of determination was expressed below.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
RESULTS
Results of laboratory analysis of dioscorea bulbifera (Aerial yam) are shown in the table 1-4 below. The values are mean triplicate of standard deviation (S.D) of each sample.
TABLE 1: RESULT FOR PROXIMATE ANALYSIS
Proximate composition of dioscorea bulbifera are presented in the table below.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
CONCLUSION
The tuber dioscorea bulbilfera contains fat, protein, fiber, ash, carbohydrate, vitamin A, vitaminC, B complex, minerals P,K,Na,Mg, Ca, alkaloid, phenol, tannin, etc. these are important component of nutritions, they are very vital and are required in the body for growth. They also also can be used as food, apart from the nutritive value dioscorea bulbilfera have various importance, they can be used as medicine in treatment of different alignment such as protecting agents obesity and diabetics, it is also used in the treatment of soar throat wound. It can be used for contraceptive etc.
RECOMMENDATION
Aerial yam contains most of the vital nutrient required by the human body, people of the late 1940’s feed on tubers like D. bulbilfera and they leave long and healthy, in respective of the hard or difficult situation comforting them.(hard labor,poor transportation, no well equipped hospital etc). knowing the nutritional content of aerieal yam, importance and uses , it is recommended that the cultivation, investment and feeding on tubers like dioscorea bulbifera of should be encourage and awearness on the important of this tuber should be created so that people can obtain the advantages in these particular plant and save cost by preventing most of the illness, through feeding on this plant(dioscorea bulbilfera).
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