Quality Evaluation of Cormels of New Germplasm of Taro

Abstract

ABSTRACT There has been little qualitative evaluation of nutrients in taro Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum L. The improvement of cultivars and human diet through selection or breeding for 1) nutrient; 2) antinutrient; i.e., trypsin inhibitor, total oxalate, soluble oxalate, and calcium oxalate; 3) antioxidant; i.e., vitamin C, carotene, and phenol compositions; and 4) activities of two antioxidative enzymes, peroxidase, and catalase and one oxidative enzyme, polyphenoloxidase, of cormels of cultivars of taro were determined. Correlation analysis indicated biochemical relationships between chemicals. Principal component analysis, explaining 64.93% of variance, indicated that cv. BCC 25 appeared to be the most promising candidate from which improved lines could be obtained.