The objective of this study is to evaluate some nutritional properties of fourteen water yam (D. alata) cultivars. Samples collected were subjected to proximate analysis expressed in percentage and mg/100g. The investigation revealed that moisture content ranged from 76.08% to 55.10% with a mean value of 63.03%, ash from 3.54% to 0.34% and mean result 1.81%, protein from 9.87% to 4.54%, while the mean 7.89%, lipid from 1.86% to 0.86% with an average of 1.46%, fibre from 4.64% to 1.66% and mean 2.60%, dry matter from 44.90% to 23..92% and mean 36.97%, carbohydrate from 88.22mg/100g to 80.71mg/100g, average value of 86.17mg/100g, calcium from 44.56mg/100g to 16.48mg/100g and mean 22.67mg/100g, magnesium (Mg) from 13.80mg /100g to 8.84 mg/100g and mean 10.83mg, sodium(Na) from 27.78mg/100g to 8.76mg/100g, mean value 14.07mg/100g, potassium (K) from 14.67mg/100g to 4.85mg/100g, average 8.79mg/100g, iron (Fe) from 3.48mg/100g to 0.36 mg/100g, average 1.08mg/100g, manganese (Mn) from 0.546 mg/100g to 0.256mg/100g average 0.36mg/100g, copper (Cu) from 0.45mg/100g to 0.14mg/100g, mean value 0.25mg/100g, zinc (Zn) from 0.75mg/100g to 0.33mg/100g, average value 0.44mg/100g, and for phosphorus (P) from 0.54mg/100g to 0.32mg/100g, mean level 0.41mg/100g respectively of all the cultivars evaluated. These results are unique to the individual cultivars, so the average values are only representing the number of cultivars investigated in the statistical measure.
Keywords: Cultivars, Dioscorea Alata, Food Crop Production, Nutrition, Water Yam
