Diosgenin, a yam-derived compound, was found to facilitate the repair of axonal atrophy and synaptic degeneration and improve memory dysfunction in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It was also found to enhance neuronal excitation and memory function even in normal mice. We hypothesized that diosgenin, either isolated or in an extract, may represent a new category of cogniti...

In West and Central Africa and in the Caribbean, yam is one of the most important sources of carbohydrates and has a great potential to improve food security. The yam production sector is, however, now challenged by the satisfaction of evolving consumers' preferences. Since little is known about consumers' preferences regarding yams' characteristics, product quality, and the drivers of yam purc...

Corresponding Author Email : [email protected] The study evaluated effect of ascorbic acid and citric acid treatments on the functional and sensory properties of yam flour. Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) tubers were washed, peeled and cut into thin slices of 1cm thickness. The slices were divided into 7 portions. The 1st portion served as control. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th portions were soaked i...

The taungya system was introduced to the West African sub-region with the aim of addressing land hunger for forest fringe communities. In Ghana, teak (Tectona grandis) was adopted as the main tree species for the taungya system. However, there is a perception that teak degrades the land and excludes undergrowth vegetation. The aims of this study were to identify the extent of the adoption of ag...

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a tuber crop grown for food security, income generation, and traditional medicine. This crop has a high cultural value for some of the groups growing it. Most of the production comes from West Africa where the increased demand has been covered by enlarging cultivated surfaces while the mean yield remained around 10 t tuber ha-1. In West Africa, yam is traditionally culti...

The present study was designed to determine the physicochemical properties of yam (Dioscorea) solution fermented by L. bulgaricus, the protective effect of fermented Dioscorea opposita Thunb. on stomach lesions, and the possibility of its application to fermented dairy products. When the concentration of yam increased, the pH increased in raw powder samples but not in extracted powder samples. ...

The study examined Yam Tuber Species (YTS), Tuber Steeping Duration (TSD) and Flour Particle Size (FPS) as factors of flour. Data were collected using white yam, water yam and yellow yam steeped in water (30 ± 2 °C, pH 6.78) and withdrawn, and the flour classified, and analyzed for each parameter. Results obtained showed that all the test parameters, Water Retention Capacity (WRC), Swelling Ind...

a study has been made of the compaction properties of two experimental starches, namely yam starch obtained from dioscorea rotundata and rice starch obtained from oryza sativa and the mechanical properties of their tablets, in comparison with those of official corn starch. the influences of the physical and geometric properties of the starch particles on the compression properties of the starch...

The atherogenic potentials of peeled grated cocoyam (Xanthosoma maffafa scot) "ekpang nkukwo", pounded yam (Discorea spp) with plain soup "afia efere", and plantain porridge (Musa paradisiaca) "iwuk ukom" meals were investigated. The three meals were fed to three different groups of albino rats of Wistar strain for a period of twenty eight days. A fourth group which served as control was feed w...