EFFECT OF PROCESSING TECHNIQUES ON ANTI-NUTRIENTS OF TARO (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott)

Abstract

Colocasia samples from Dharan, Nepal was taken for qualitative and quantitative analysis of antinutrient. The main aim of the study was to determine the effect of processing techniques on antinutritional factors of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott). The effect of different processing techniques (boiling, frying and baking) along with time variations on anti nutrients of taro was studied. Different time variation was used for different processing techniques. The samples of boiled fried and baked was between 9-17 min, 7-12 min and 30-55 min at two, one- and five-minutes interval respectively. The anti-nutrient screening of taro showed presence of phenol, tannin, alkaloids, cyanogen, oxalate and phytate. The mean value of each anti-nutrient in raw taro were 96.9 ± 3.25 mg GAE/ 100 g, 72.25 ± 1.64 mg TAE/ 100 g, 20.08 ± 0.66 mg/ 100 g, 85.55 ± 9.96 mg/ 100 g, 187.5 ± 5.90 mg/ 100 g and 118.66 ± 13.18 mg/ 100 g on the basis of dry weight respectively. Maximum reduction of anti-nutrient i.e., phenols (36 %), tannin (86.6 %), alkaloid (68.15 %), cyanogen (95.8 %), oxalate (67.2 %), phytate (59.2 %) were seen in boiled sample. Boiled sample of 17 min had the maximum reduction of anti-nutrients. Baking was second most effective method in reduction of anti-nutrients except oxalate which increased in baking. Fried sample also showed significant reduction in all anti-nutrient content. All method showed significant reduction in anti-nutrients (p < 0.05) except baking significantly increased oxalate. Thus, the present findings conclude that all domestic processing techniques were effective in reducing anti-nutrients present in taro, but boiling had maximum reduction in all anti-nutrients compared to other two methods.