Taro Tuber Lab Report

1500 Words6 Pages
Taro corms are highly perishable owing to their high moisture content. Processing removes the water which reduces the bulk and also increases their storage life. The method of processing, ranging from simple boiling to elaborate fermentation, drying and grinding to make flour may vary depending on the varieties of roots and tubers. The taro flour production from fresh tuber soon after harvest serves as an effective procedure against storage loss. Converting fresh edible tubers to flours will avoid losses and ensure supply of the products from tubers throughout the year, which may contribute to the growth of regional food industries and employability of the people.¬ 2.5.1. Basic steps in production of taro flour Traditional taro flour processing…show more content…
Selection of raw material and grading: The selection of raw materials may include simple parameters based on the physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory attributes for the good yield and optimum quality of the final product. The parameters may include the various quality aspects related to wholesome taro tubers. Grading is an important step and helps the taro producer and seller to determine its price, facilitates the scope to widen the avenue for taro export and has a direct influence on utilization. The quality factors like size of taro tubers, conformity to the variety, tolerance limits for under sized and over sized taro tubers are mainly taken into consideration in this unit…show more content…
Blanching: Taro corms suffer from enzymatic browning reactions resulting from polyphenol oxidases catalyzing the oxidation of polyphenols resulting complex formation leading to the production of pigments that cause discolouration. To prevent enzymatic browning and off-flavor, slices of taro are exposed to mild heat treatment prior to inactivate enzymes, modify texture, preserve color, flavour and nutritional value. Hot water and steam are the most commonly used heating media for blanching in food industry. The peeled taro corms undergo a pre-cooking stage in boiling water to avoid browning and improve final yield. Corms are dipped in hot water for a few minutes before drying to stop the enzymatic action which may not be stopped by the sun-drying process (FAO, 1990). Blanching of taro corms may be carried out at 90°C using distilled water for 2 min to inactivate polyphenol oxidase enzyme (Kaushal et al., 2012). For taro (Colocasia esculenta) the pressure cooking for 7min and blanching at temperature 65˚C for 1hr have been preferred (Dash and Gurumoorthi, 2011). The effect of blanching and cooking on the oxalate, phytate, protein, calcium, phosphorous and iron content is given in Table 4. The oxalate content is reduced with increase in temperature. The oxalate content is reduced with increase in temperature (Table 4). High oxalate diets may produce kidney stones. Therefore, proper processing of taro can be used to reduce the
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