Physico-chemical characteristics of white, purple and yellow yams were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. SEM micrographs show that all have flattened ovoid shaped granules, but yellow yam granules were more densely packed. The particles of yellow yam are relatively large with an average diameter of 15 �m while those of white and purple yams  are smaller with an average diameter of 4 and 8 �m, respectively. IR spectra indicate that the half-bandwidth of the band at 1000 cm-1 is proportional to the size of the particles of the yams. The ratios of the intensities of the IR bands at 1000 cm-1 and 1140 cm-1 suggest that there is more order in yellow yam than in white and purple yams, in agreement with the SEM micrographs. TGA results reveal that yellow yam is more thermally stable than white and purple yams

Physico-chemical characterization of yams using thermogravimetric analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy

245th National Meeting (2013)

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