Author(s): Nji Griphan Fru and Onyeche Vange

Abstract: Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa suffer economic losses after harvest of more than 40% due to fungi infections of stored cocoyam corms. A storage study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of organic plant extracts of Aframomum melegueta (Alligator pepper), Piper nigrum (Black pepper), and Azadirachta indica (Neem) on the Shelf Life and post-harvest quality of cocoyam. The factors were arranged in a (2×3) + 2 factorial style, laid in a Completely Randomized Design with three replications. Freshly harvested cocoyam corms were harvested and dipped in crude aqueous extracts of Alligator pepper, Black pepper, and Neem at concentrations of 10% w/v and 20% w/v for 5 minutes, stored at ambient conditions. The temperatures and relative humidity of the storage room ranged from 24.4oC to 33.0oC and 62% to 84% respectively. Results from the experiment showed that the shelf life of cocoyam was extended by 8 weeks (10% w/v Neem), 8 weeks (20% w/v Neem), 8 weeks (20% w/v Black pepper), 10 weeks (Mancozeb), and 10 weeks (20% w/v Alligator pepper) at the end of the storage period as compared to the control with a shelf life of 4 weeks. Alkaloids, tannins, phenols, saponins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides terpenoids, and Phytosterols were found in the aqueous plant extracts. Extracts of Alligator pepper, Black pepper, and Neem significantly reduced the decay of corms, post-harvest weight loss, sprouting index and extended shelf life of cocoyam, thus can be used in the preservation of cocoyam in storage and also as an alternative to synthetic fungicides.

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