Starch, Proteins and Minerals Content of Papua New Guinea Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Corms Starch, Proteins and Minerals Content of Papua New Guinea Taro (Colocasia esculenta) Corms

Abstract The aim of the presented investigation was to study chemical composition variation in starch, protein and minerals found in corms of ten taro cultivars from Papua New Guinea, South Pacific. The chemical analyses were performed on oven dried materials. The starch content ranged from 66 % to 79 %, mean content of crude protein was 3.72 g/100g. Among minerals, K was the most abundant (1.77 %), followed by P (0.43 %), Ca (1230 mg/kg) and Mg (976 mg/kg). The analyzed materials could also be considered as moderate sources of Zn (22.10 mg/kg), Fe (19.63 mg/kg), and Cu (6.87 mg/kg). The content of Mn was rather low (5.12 mg/kg)