Analytical Evaluation of the Effects of Drying Methods on Proximate and Least Gelation Concentrations of Cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta)

A comparison of two drying methods (sun and oven-drying) was conducted to determine the effects on various quality attributes of flour samples made from cocoyam, Colocasia esculenta (Taro). The nutritional value and characteristic properties of the cocoyam flour were investigated using the proximate and least gelation concentration. The results of the laboratory analysis disclosed that the moisture content (7.98%), ash content (4.92%),crude fat (4.20%), protein (9.30%) and least gelation concentration (8.40%) of the sun-dried cocoyam flour samples values were the higher than the samples dried in the oven except for crude fiber (9.42%) and carbohydrate (67.36%).The study revealed that drying techniques considerable have effect on proximate and least gelation concentrations of cocoyam flour.