Dioscorea hispida: economic potential and applications

Dioscorea hispida is one of the 600 edible plant species belongs to Dioscoreaceae family. It is distributed in tropical and sub-tropical regions of Philippines, China, Taiwan, New Guinea, Malaysia, Fujian, Bhutan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sikkim, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Africa. Each of the mature plant can produce up to 15 kg of tuber. However, it is economically insignificant due to the presence of toxic alkaloid dioscorine in the fresh tuber. The economic value and potential applications of D. hispida tuber starch will be discussed. Starch from D. hispida tuber has been researched for the applications in food and non-food industries. The starch was used as material in water filtration system, wastewater treatment, and thermoplastic film. The starch was also used as a food ingredient, and it can be further value added by converting it into glucose syrup and oligosaccharides prebiotic. Paste of D. hispida tuber has been shown to have ethno-pharmaceutical value in treating wound, vomiting and eye infection, and the fermented tuber (tape or tapai) has been shown to have health benefits in reducing hypertension and blood cholesterol level. &nbsp