Nutrients and Anti-nutrients Content Analysis of Bogor Taro Mutant Clone (Colocasia esculenta)

Bogor Taro is an important local staple food, a potential substitute to rice as carbohydrate source in Indonesia. However, its production in the last decade tends to decline due to unsuccessful breeding program. Taro contains both nutrients (carbohydrate) and anti-nutrients, such as calcium oxalate that cause itching sensations when consumed. At present, through somaclonal variation technology by gamma radiation, six mutant-clones have been produced. We investigated technology to improve carbohydrate content and to depress calcium oxalate on the six mutant-clones available. We used iodometric titration to examine carbohydrate levels, permanganometric titration to measure calcium oxalate levels, argentometric titration to determine cyanide acid levels, and extraction method-gravimetric for saponins. We found, there were three mutant clones which have higher carbohydrate and lesser calcium oxalate content compared to the parent, namely B521 (5 Gy gamma radiation), B1023 (10 Gy gamma radiation) and B1511 (15 Gy gamma radiation) clones which will be proliferate to be a superior seeds.