GC-MS ANALYSIS AND NUTRACEUTICAL POTENTIALS OF THE BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS OF THREE EDIBLE COCOYAMS (XANTHOSOMA SAGITTIFOLIUM, XANTHOSOMA VIOLACEUM AND COLOCASIA ESCULENTA)

The productivity and growth of most developing economies of the tropics are severely threatened by malnutrition, due to their over dependency on carbohydrate-rich staples of high deficient micronutrients. Amongst the major roots and tubers, Cocoyams have better nutritional values because of their mineral compositions and protein digestibility. Mature tubers of three species of edible Cocoyams (Colocasia esculenta, Xanthosoma sagittifolium and Xanthosoma violaceum) harvested within the premises of University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria were peeled, washed, sliced, dried, ground and extracted using in dichloromethane. The pure and concentrated extracts were analyzed. GC-MS result of the bioactive components showed the methyl esters of Hexadecanoic acid and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid as the highest components with percentage concentrations of 28.727 and 19.656, while Methyltetradecanoate and the (Z)-methyl ester of 9-Octadecanoic acid were the least components with values of 0.276 and 0.446. n- Hexadecanoic acid and 3-Hexadecyne were the highest components in X. sagittifolium with percentage concentrations of 34.783 and 33.504, while 1-Propanol, 2-methyl- and 1-Heptanol-6- methyl had the lowest percentage concentration with values of 1.219 and 1.187. The highest bioactive components observed in X. violaceum were n-Hexadecanoic acid and 1,3-Butadiene with percentage concentrations 37.613 and 16.510, while 1-Propanol-2-methyl and 1-Azabicyclo[2,2,2]octan-3- one had the least values with percentage concentrations 2.110 and 1.842. The diversity and variation in concentration of the bioactive components of these Cocoyams not only indicate varied specie-dependent potentials but also reveals the individual metabolic variations and nutraceutical potentials which can be of immersed importance to both pharmaceutical and food industries.