Abstract:
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is one of the most nutritious and easily digestible foods. Like many
other root crops, taro corms are rich in carbohydrates in the form of starch and contain low
amounts of fat and protein. In this study, we analyzed the proximate, mineral, and anti
nutritional content of taro varieties released by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center and
locally cultivated varieties in Jimma zone, southwest Ethiopia. We collected six taro varieties:
Denu, Kiyaq, Acc053, Acc133 from the Jimma Agricultural Research Center, and Yutero and
Nala from farmer land. We used dry ashing and wet digestion methods to prepare samples for
mineral and crude protein analysis, respectively. Mineral analysis was conducted using a Flame
Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS), phosphorus and tannin were determined using an
Ultraviolet-Visible spectrometer (UV-VIS), and oxalate was determined through titration. The
results were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and reported with average mean
values and standard deviations. The proximate analysis showed that Nala had the highest
moisture content (84.87 ± 0.23) and crude fiber (2.92 ± 0.09). Yutero had the highest crude
protein content (0.76 ± 0.05), while Acc053 had the highest ash content (4.5 ± 0.00). Denu, Nala,
Yutero, and Acc133 had the same crude lipid content (6.00 ± 0.00), and Kiyaq and Acc053 had
the same crude lipid content (4.00 ± 0.00). Kiyaq had the highest carbohydrate content (91.47 ±
0.34) among the studied varieties. For mineral analysis, Acc053 had the highest amount of Ca,
P, and K, while Kiyaq, Acc133, and Denu had higher amounts of Na, Mg, and Zn, respectively.
In terms of anti-nutritional analysis, Nala had higher content of tannin (31.40 ± 0.55) and
oxalate (202.45 ± 2.85). Based on the results of this study, the varieties from the research center
showed higher nutritional quality than the locally cultivated varieties.
