Specific biochemical properties and textural attributes determine the final quality and acceptability of yam food products. This study assessed the flour and cooking qualities (boiled yam) of sixteen elite white yam genotypes (D. rotundata) grown in three locations. Fresh yam samples were cut into regular-shaped pieces and boiled using the standard procedure. Sub-samples were oven-dried at 65 °C for 72 h and milled to flour. The biochemical profiling for the yam flour showed, on average, 61.35 ± 5.15% starch, 5.35 ± 0.15% sugar, 1.55 ± 0.24% crude fiber, 1.91 ± 0.31% ash, 5.65 ± 0.66% protein, 0.33 ± 0.02% fat and 34.87 ± 1.94% amylose content. The boiled yam's water absorption and cooking time ranged from 0.35 to 5.17% and 7.00–18 min, with an average of 2.74% and 10.64 min, respectively. The hardness of boiled yam from the sensory assay correlated positively with the hardness of instrumental texture analysis (p<0.001, r=0.47). In contrast, the hardness of instrumental texture had a significant negative correlation with the chewiness of sensory profile analysis (p < 0.05, r = 0.37). Likewise, water absorption correlated positively and significantly (p<0.05, r=0.43) with the chewiness of the sensory analysis. The study shows that the sensory attributes that determine the acceptability of boiled yam could be determined using instrumental measurements to save time and cost.

The authors acknowledge the support of Africa Yam, especially Dr Patrick Adebola and Dr Agre Paterne and RTBfoods projects team members (Drs Dominique Duffour, Mestres Christian, and Tran Thiery), and the staff of the Food and Nutrition Sciences Laboratory and Yam Breeding Unit of IITA (especially Mr Alex Ekeremadu), Nigeria.

https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11690

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Alamu Emmanuel Oladejihttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6263-1359

Michael Adesokanhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1361-6408

Wasiu Awoyalehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3635-1414

Asrat Asfawhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4859-0631

Busie Maziya-Dixonhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2014-2201

https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11690

Biotech and Plant Breeding; Nutrition and Human Health

Food Security; Nutrition; Value Chains; Yam

Organoleptic Properties; Water; Absorption; Dioscorea Rotundata

Africa; West Africa

Nigeria

Southern Africa Hub; Headquarters and Western Africa Hub

Heliyon