Nutritional evaluation of various parts of Canna indica L.

Abstract

The nutritional composition of the leaf, rhizome and seed of Canna indica L. were examined. The nutritional composition of C. indica plant showed that the rhizome of C. indica contains 50.66% moisture, 4.17% carbohydrate, 4.81% protein, 2.85% ash, 4.35% lipid and 33.16% fibre. The leaf on the other hand, contains 87.54% moisture, 2.19% carbohydrate, 4.59% protein, 3.40% ash, 1.08% lipid and 1.18% fibre. The seed contains 13.95% moisture, 41.15% carbohydrate, 11.60% protein, 1.90% ash, 7.50% lipid and 23.90% fibre. However, the protein, carbohydrate, lipid and fibre content of the seed were high when compared to the rhizome and the leaf of C. indica while the leaf had more moisture and ash content. This study shows that C. indica has a high nutritional content which differs among the leaf, seed and rhizome. The seed had more nutritional value than the rhizome and the leaf of Canna indica.