Background: The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of processing on nutritional value of root and tuber crops as livestock feed resources.
Methods: Fresh potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, yam and dalo purchased from the market were washed and cut into slices. Fresh slices of peeled, unpeeled and peels of root and tubers were divided into three equal parts. One part was analysed for chemical composition as fresh samples, while remaining two parts were oven dried at 60oC and sundried respectively. Sundried and oven dried samples were also analysed for chemical composition respectively in a 5 x 3 x 3 factorial experiment and data were expressed on as-fed basis. Interaction between type of tuber crop, component parts and processing on nutrient concentration was tested using three-way ANOVA.
Results: No difference (P > 0.05) was found in the moisture content of fresh sample results between root and tuber crops parts. However, there are significant interaction effects (P < 0.05) between the type of tuber crop, part of tuber crop and processing methods for dry matter, ash, crude protein, crude fibre and soluble carbohydrate fractions. Sundried potato and sweet potato peels have higher significant (P < 0.05) protein content (11.5%) than other parts of root crops. Equally, soluble carbohydrate fractions of sundried yam and dalo were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than potato, sweet potato and cassava.
Conclusions: Processing method affect nutrient composition of root and tuber crops
Funding source(s): Fiji National University