Description
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Ipomoea batatas also known as sweet potato belongs to the kingdom plantae and the family convolvulaceae also known as the morning glory family or bindweed. It is a sweet tasting root tuberous plant which is dicotyledonous, large and starchy.
Sweet Potato is usually thought to be a type of potato ( solanum tuberosum) but it is distinct because they do not belong to the same family solanaceae (the night shade family) the solanaceae or nightshade are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and ornamentals.
Many members of the family contain potent alkaloids, and some are highly toxic, but many including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell and chili peppers are used as food.
The family belongs to the order Solanales, in the asterid group and class Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons).
The Solanaceae consists of about 98 genera and some 2,700 species, with a great diversity of habitats, morphology and ecology.
Sweet Potato ( Ipomoea batatas) is perennial in nature bearing alternate heart shaped leaves and medium sized sympetalous leaves.
The edible tuberous root is long and tapered with smooth skin which colour ranges between yellow, orange, red, pink, violet, brown, purple and beige.
1.1 JUSTIFICATION
Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato is a smooth skinned rich tuberous root which rich source of starch. Sweet Potato peels have been explored in nutraceuticals, and the fermented peels utilized in ethanol production and tested as biofertilizer. However, the nutritional composition of fermented potato peels has not been fully investigated.
Therefore, isolating and enumerating the microbial loads and nutritional composition of fermented Ipomoea batatas, sweet potato peels will give an insight into its nutritional quality which can serve as alternatives in food and or non/food applications.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This research work is aimed at identifying the effect of (1) Aspergillus niger, (2) Aspergillus flavus on nutritional content and proximate content of sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) from Lafenwa, Abeokuta, Ogun State .
Specific Objective
The objectives for the project research work are as follows:
• To determine the effect of fungi metabolite on Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato).
• To observe the proximate content of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato).
• To observe the nutritional content of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato).
• To investigate the effect of the fungi metabolite on the proximate content of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato)
• To investigate the effect of fungi metabolite on the nutritional content of Ipomoea balatas.