• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.283-288
• /
• 2010

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) has been used as important edible and medicinal natural resource in worldwide and D. alata L. is most popular nourishment among the yam. In this study the composition, color, antioxidation and antimicrobial activity of D. alata Gyeongbuk No. 6 (GB-6), which was established in Gyeongbuk Agricultural Research & Extension Services, Andong, Korea, was compared to those of D. batatas Gyeongbuk No. 1 (GB-1), a major domestic cultivation species. Water content of GB-6 was $78.02{\pm}0.16%$, which is slightly lower than that of GB-1 ($82.6{\pm}0.07%$). The contents of crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber and ash of GB-6 were 0.95, 0.26, 0.85 and 0.70%, whereas those of GB-1 were 1.58, 0.15, 1.39 and 0.88%, respectively. Analysis of color using colormeter showed that the GB-6 is slight dark-yellow than GB-1, and total polyphenol content of GB-6 was 2-fold higher compared than that of GB-1. Sequential organic solvent fractions from methanol extract of GB-6 showed that the ethylacetate fraction has highest total polyphenol ($144.1{\pm}3.20\;mg/g$). Determination of antioxidation activity showed that the ethylacete fraction and water fraction has strong DPPH radical scavenging activity ($IC_{50}=78.32\;{\mu}g/mL$) and reducing power, respectively. In antimicrobial activity assay, the n-hexane and ethylacetate fraction showed antibacterial activity against B. subtilis, L.monocytogenes, S. epidermidis, S. aureus, P. vulgaris, and S. typhimurium. These results provide the possibility of domestic cultivated D. alata GB-6 as a healthy food.