Metabolome Profiling of Eight Chinese Yam (Dioscorea polystachya Turcz.) Varieties Reveals Metabolite Diversity and Variety Specific Uses

The Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachya Turcz.) is an underutilized orphan tuber crop. However, in China it has been used in traditional medicine and food for centuries due to the presence of high starch, protein, fiber, and biologically active compounds. Knowledge on the metabolomic profiles of Chinese yam varieties is needed to explore the underutilized metabolites and variety specific uses. Here, the metabolome of eight Chinese yam varieties that are cultivated in different Chinese regions was profiled. A total of 431 metabolites belonging to different biochemical classes was detected. The majority of detected metabolites were classified as amino acids and derivatives. The different yam varieties offer unique uses; e.g., Hebei Ma Yam, Henan Huai Yam, and Henan Wild Yam were the most metabolically enriched and suitable as food and medicine. Yams from Hubei region had comparable nutritional profiles, which is most probably due to their geographical origin. Specifically, Henan Wild Yam had the highest concentrations of diosgenin, vitamins, and polysaccharides. Overall, this study presents a metabolome reference for D. polystachya varieties.

Value addition and influence of succinylation levels on the quality of wild yam (Discorea villosa) starch

Recent increase in demand for starch in food applications has called for research into other new sources.

Amino acid composition of wild yam (Dioscorea spp.)

Tubers of wild yam (Dioscorea alata, D. bulbifera var. vera, D. esculenta, D. oppositifolia var. oppositifolia, D. oppositifolia var. dukhumensis, D. pentaphylla var. pentaphylla, D. spicata, D. tomentosa and D. wallichi) were analyzed for its amino acids composition. Asparatic acid and glutamic acid were found to be predominant among all the investigated Dioscorea species which ranged from 5.21 to 9.36 and 3.20 to 8.12 g/100 g protein respectively. The essential amino acids such as isoleucine, phenylalanine tyrosine, histidine, isoleucine and valine were found to be more or less higher than FAO/WHO (1991) requirement pattern. Thus, the present investigation demonstrated that the Dioscorea spp. can act as a good source of amino acid