ABSTRACT

The nutritional proximate composition; elemental minerals, and phytochemical contents of wild (cyperus rotundus) and cultivated (cyperus esculentus) species of Tigernuts, was investigated in Calabar in 2018. The iwld and cultivated species of Tigernuts were sourced from the Botanical garden in the University of Calabar. Elemental minerals, nutrient proximate compositions and phytochemicals in the wild and cultivated species were analyzed using the Association of Official Analytical Chemist (AOAC) methods of 2016. Results of the analysis revealed that significant (P<0.05) differences were detected in the nutrient compositions, mineral elements and phytochemical contents among the wild and cultivated species of Tigernuts. There was significant differences in Tannins, phenols, cardiac glycosides, reducing sugars, saponins, alkaloids, and flavonoids. This phytochemicals were more in the wild than in the cultivated species. The high tanins, cardiac glycosides and low reducing sugars accounts for the high bitterness and non-palatability of the wild Tigernuts species. Elemental minerals like sodium, calaune, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, zinc and iron were all high in the cultivated Tigernuts species than in the wild species. Hence, the study concluded that the high phytochemical contents in the wild couple with very low reducing sugar contents is highly implicated in the bitterness and non-palatability of the wild (cyperus rotundus) Tigernuts species.           

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