%0 Journal Article
%T Chemical Elemental Compositions and Nutrition Quality of Yacon, Sweet Potato and Potato
%A Yue Wang
%A Guojun Shi
%A Bo Yuan
%A Sichuan Xu
%J Journal of Modern Agriculture
%D 2013
%I Ivy Publisher
%X Elemental compositions from Yacon, Sweet Potato and Potato have been analyzed and determined by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrum to study the relationship of their chemical elemental compositions with their nutrition quality. In the dry matters of Yacon, Sweet Potato and Potato, the content of carbon element is about 40%, not only to indicate that the similar carbon content is a common nature of the three fruits belonging to Potato species, but also to demonstrate that they are classified to low alloy steel calorie food. The content of nitrogen element is determined to be a bigger value in the dry matters of Yacon, Sweet Potato and Potato, namely their protein content is high; especially, the protein content in the dry matter of Potato is the similar to that in millet, which can explain that Potato is a relative nutrition foodstuff in principle of protein. Because of a large proportion of oxygen (47.88%) as well as the biggest sugar content in the dry matter of Yacon, Yacon is the sweetest foodstuff among all its kind. The main metal elemental contents are up to 3.75%, 2.64% and 2.50% in the dry matters of Yacon, Sweet Potato and Potato respectively, which is larger not only than those in common foodstuffs, but also than 2.42% in soybean. In particular, the contents of K, Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn and Cu in the dry matters of Yacon, Sweet Potato and Potato all are high. It can be ascertained in light of the microelement properties that their nutrition quality is similar to what soybean possesses. Therefore, the obtained results by investigating elemental compositions prove that Yacon, Sweet Potato and Potato are comprehensive and balanced nutrition foodstuffs with high content of protein, trace elements as well as sugar compositions and low content of carbon element. The cultivation of Yacon, Sweet Potato and Potato is an available approach to the food shortage of China, taking advantages of high yield without difficulty, strong adaptability to fertile and paddy field and high nutrition value comparable to rice and flour.
%K Yacon
%K Sweet Potato
%K Potato
%K XRF
%K Elemental Composition
%K Nutrition Quality
%U http://www.jma-journal.org/papersub/Global/DownloadService.aspx?PARAMS=SUReODMxNg_0_0