Nutritional profile and chemical properties of four accessions of hingurala (Dioscorea alata) as a highly nutritious starch-based functional food

Starchy tubers are valuable subsidiary cultivation in tropical and subtropical countries. The objective of the present study is to quantitatively analyze the chemical properties of flour from three newly introduced accessions of Dioscorea alata ; Maha Hingurala (MH), Heen Hingurala (HH), and Suta Hingurala (SH) against conventional Hingurala (HI) tubers. Four accessions were assessed for their proximate composition, mineral content, phytochemicals , total polyphenol content (TPC), antioxidant properties (AP), and fatty acid profiles. The highest moisture content (73.08 ± 1.33 %), free fat content (0.78 ± 0.03 %), and crude fiber content (2.91 ± 0.07 %) were reported in HI. The highest protein content (7.41 ± 0.11 %) and the ash content (3.32 ± 0.08 %) were reported in MH. The highest Na, Fe, Cu, Mg, Zn, and Mn contents were recorded in SH, and the highest K content was present in MH. HH had the uppermost Ca content. A range of values for saponins (2.77–5.94 %) and alkaloids (0.003–0.02 %) was present in four accessions. The highest flavonoid (17.23 mg quercetin/100 g), TPC (117.76 mg GAE/100 g), and AP (DPPH IC 50 = 5.08 ± 0.04 µg/mL, FRAP = 22.35 ± 2.21 mM trollox equivalent/g) were present in MH. The most prevalent fatty acids were palmitic acid and linoleic acid in all four accessions. The major fatty acid found in HI and HH was linoleic acid , and the other two accessions had palmitic acid as the most abundant type. All four accessions were found nutritionally rich and have the potential for future cost-effective starch-based functional food applications. Graphical Abstract • All four accessions contained varying amounts of protein, fat, fiber and carbohydrate. • The highest Na, Fe, Cu, Mg, Zn and Mn contents were reported in Suta hingurala. • Saponins ranged from 2.77–5.94 % and alkaloids from 0.003–0.022 %, in four samples. • Maha hingurala had the highest flavonoid , antioxidant and total polyphenol content. • The most abundant fatty acids were palmitic acid and linolelaidic acid in all samples.