Effect of Storage and Insect Infestation on Physico Chemical and Nutritive Values of Sun Dried Yam (Dioscorea Rotundata)

Abstract

Effect of storage and insect infestation on physicochemical and nutritive values of sundried yam (Dioscorea Rotundata) were studied. The samples were subjected to proximate and elemental analyses. There was a decrease in carbohydrate value of the infested yam compared with the uninfested yam which was also found to be lower than that of the raw yam. Copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium were found to be 72.69 mg/100g, 70.58 mg/100g, 78.88 mg/100g, 71.70 mg/100g, 76.60 mg/100g, 60.06 mg/100g and 50.35 mg/100g in uninfested yam while the values of the mineral elements in the infested yam samples were obtained as 76.22 mg/100g, 75.91 mg/100g, 77.02 mg/100g, 76.08 mg/100g, 80.04 mg/100g, 64.55 mg/100g, 52.02 mg/100g compared to the raw yam which gave 74.44 mg/100g, 73.58 mg/100g, 79.99 mg/100g, 75.48 mg/100g, 78.26 mg/100g, 72.98 mg/100g and 51.50 mg/100g respectively. The Results showed that the samples were non–resistant to insect infestation with acute deterioration in food values.