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Chufa tubers (Cyperus esculentus L.): A new source of food
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Abstract: The paper reports the proximate evaluation of dry Chufa (Cyperus esculentus .L) tubers and the characterization of the oil extracted compared with olive oil (oleo Europea) and fatty acid composition of both oils was analyzed by gas liquid chromatography (GLC). Mineral content of chufa tubers were analyzed by Atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Also, amino acid content was determination of chufa tubers by amino acid analyzer. Chufa coated with chocolate was prepared from chufa tubers and sensory qualities were evaluated compared with commercial peanut with chocolate. Chufa tubers were characterized by low moisture content (3.75 %) high levels of starch (295 g / kg) and high fat content (30.00 %). Tubers contained significant amounts of fiber (4.30 %), were rich in Ca (152.00 ppm) P (123.00 ppm) and Na (140 ppm). Moreover, chufa tubers are a good source of total amino acid. Amino acid profiles were dominated by, aspartic acid followed by glutamic acid, leucine, alanine and arginine. It is remarkable that the chufa and olive oils are similar in fatty acid composition. Chufa and olive oils contained palmitic acid as the main saturated acid and oleic acid as the predominant unsaturated acid. In conclusion, the results obtained show that preparation of chufa coated with chocolate from chufa tuber was cheaper while more nutritious with a high level of acceptability was obtained. The results provide additional information about the nutritional value and confirm that of chufa tubers are an interesting healthy food.
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| Publication year |
2009
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| Pages |
151-156
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| Organization Name |
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| serial title |
World Applied Sciences Journal
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| Author(s) from ARC |
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| Publication Type |
Journal
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