In vitro starch digestibility, estimated glycemic index and antioxidant potential of taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) corm

The purpose of this study was to determine some functional properties of taro (Colocasia esculenta L Schott) corm, which can be a good alternative to the other dietary carbohydrate sources with its high starch content. The total phenolic and flavonoid content of taro corm was found as 205 +/- 53 mg CAE/100 g and 61 +/- 9 mg CAE/100 g, respectively. The antioxidant capacity of corm was determined as 452 +/- 72 mM TEAC/100 g and 244 +/- 73 mM TEAC/100 g, by the scavenging activity against ABTS and DPPH radicals, respectively. The free glucose content of corms was less than 1%, whereas the 60% of dry matter was composed of starch. According to the results, the taro corms' starch was highly digestible and higher than the 50% of the starch was composed of rapidly digestible starch (RDS) fractions. The estimated glycemic index (eGI) of taro corm was 63.1 +/- 2.5, indicating taro corm as a medium GI food and a good dietary carbohydrate alternative especially for diabetic people. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.