Biochemical Assessment, Functional Properties, and Mineral Fingerprinting of Underutilized Root Crops from West Africa

International Journal of Chemistry | Vol. 10, No. 10, October 2019 | pp. 73–80

DOI: 10.46882/2019/IJC/000132

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Biochemical Assessment, Functional Properties, and Mineral Fingerprinting of Underutilized Root Crops from West Africa

Names of Authors: A. E. Ogunkoya¹, A. M. O. R. de Sousa²*

Authors’ Affiliations:
¹Department of Chemistry, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
²Department of Food Science, National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal.

Abstract: Underutilized indigenous root crops serve as resilient agricultural reservoirs in arid zones, yet detailed mapping of their dietary matrices is required to expand their commercial adoption. This research evaluates the proximate nutritional composition, functional properties, and mineral mineral profile of three underutilized West African roots (Plectranthus esculentus, Sphenostylis stenocarpa, and Dioscorea dumetorum) gathered during the dry season harvest. Proximate analysis established high total carbohydrate contents ranging from 68.4% to 74.2% on a dry weight basis, alongside significant crude protein profiles (9.2% to 12.8%) and very low crude lipid levels (1.5% to 2.4%). Mineral profiling using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) revealed that iron and zinc were highly concentrated within P. esculentus fractions (5.4 mg/100g and 3.8 mg/100g respectively), while toxic heavy metals remained well below international safety benchmarks. Quantified antinutritional matrices showed exceptionally low baseline concentrations of tannins (0.12 to 0.24 mg/g) and phytic acid (1.15 to 1.84 mg/g). Functional parameter tracking confirmed high water absorption capacities and stable gel formation limits, proving that these roots are excellent dietary matrices for developing gluten-free infant weaning formulations.

Keywords: Underutilized roots; Proximate composition; Mineral profile; Antinutrients; Plectranthus esculentus; Gluten-free matrices

Manuscript Timeline: Received: February 18, 2019; Revised: March 28, 2019; Accepted: April 20, 2019; Published: October 05, 2019.

Citation: Ogunkoya, A. E., & de Sousa, A. M. O. R. (2019). Biochemical Assessment, Functional Properties, and Mineral Fingerprinting of Underutilized Root Crops from West Africa. International Journal of Chemistry, 10(10), 73–80.

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