TIGER NUT (CYPERUS ESCULENTUS); MORPHOLOGY, PRODUCTS, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS

Year 2020, Volume: 3 Issue: 4, 324 - 328, 01.10.2020

Taha Bazine , Funda Arslanoğlu

Abstract

Tiger nut or Cyperus esculentus originated from Africa and tropical Asia considered some authors, while other authors consider that it is native to tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. It belongs to Cyperaceae family, which produces rhizomes and spherical tubers. C. esculentus grows very well on all soil types. This plant is fast growing up with 20 to 70 cm tall. It lives in a moderate climate with a temperature between 20 °C and 30 °C and cannot resist in soil with high salinity. It can be eaten in different conditions; dry, raw, roasted, or grated, also it can be transformed into milk called “Horchata”. With the use of Tiger nut for food purposes mainly in raw consumption (gluten-free flour, ice-cream milk type extract) due to its unique sweetness, as well as, a valuable source for vegetable oils, add to that it has a lot of medicinal benefits (it reduces the risk of colon cancer, used as a heart stimulant, effective remedy for diarrhea and an anti-inflammatory) and used as high added value compound such as starch, glucose, protein, and minerals (potassium, phosphorus, vitamin E and C). Despite all these previous mentioned benefits and advantages, low focus had been putting into Cyperus esculentus’s researches. Therefore, this work has an aim to review the work done before and mention the great importance of valorizing Tiger nuts. This study gives a brief introduction about Cyperus esculentus and describes its morphology and its world distribution.

Keywords

Tiger nut, Cyperus esculentus, Nutrition, Oil, Health

Supporting Institution

-

Project Number

-

Thanks

-

References

• AbdelKader H, Ibrahim F, Ahmed M, El-Ghadban E. 2017. Effect of Some Soil Additives and Mineral Nitrogen Fertilizer at Different Rates on Vegetative Growth, Tuber Yield and Fixed Oil of Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) Plants. J Plant Prod, 8(1): 39–48.
• Achoribo ES, Ong MT. 2017. Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus): Source of natural anticancer drug? Brief review of existing literature. EuroMedit Bioml J, 12: 91–94.
• Adejuyitan JA. 2011. Tigernut Processing: Its Food uses and Health Benefits. American J Food Tech, 197-201.
• Anonim 2020. TUBİVES. Türkiye Bitkileri Veri Tabanı. URL: http://www. http://www.tubives.com (access date 25.06.2020).
• Arafat SA, Said, AM. 2019. Nutritional Value of Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) Tubers and Its Products. J Biol Chem and Environ Sci, 301-318.
• Asante FA, Saalia FK, Oduro I, Ellis WO. 2014. Modelling of Milk Solids Extraction from Tigernut (Cyperus esculentus L.) Tubers Using Response Surface Methodology. Int J Food Sci and Nutrition Eng, 4(3): 73–79.
• Bamishaiye E, Bamishaiye, O. 2011. Review article on tiger-nut: as a plant, its derivatives and benefits. African J Food, Agri, Nutrition and Devel, 11: 5157–5170.
• CABI. 2020. Invasive Species Compendium. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. URL: www.cabi.org/isc. (access date: 26.6.2020).
• David AB. 2005. "Tiger nut." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. URL: https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/dictionaries thesauruses-pictures-and-press releases/tiger-nut. (access date: 21.02.2020).
• Dyer AR. 2009. “The ecology of chufa (Cyperus esculentus sativus)”. Report from University of South Carolina Aiken. Columbia.
• TTSM, 2020. T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı Tohumluk Tescil ve Sertifikasyon Merkez Müdürlüğü. Ankara. URL: https://www.tarimorman.gov.tr/BUGEM/TTSM. (access date: 6.7.2020).
• Ezeh O, Gordon MH, Niranjan K. 2014. Tiger nut oil (Cyperus esculentus L.): A review of its composition and physico-chemical properties. Eur J Lipid Sci and Tech, 116(7): 783–794.
• Follak S, Belz R, Bohren C, De Castro O, Del Guacchio E, Pascual-Seva N, Essl F. 2016. Biological flora of Central Europe: Cyperus esculentus L.. Persp in Plant Ecol, Evolution and Syst, 23: 33–51.
• Gambo A, and Da’u A. 2014. Tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus): composition, products, uses and health benefits – a review. Bayero J Pure and App Sci, 7: 56-61.
• Gene D Wills. 1987. Description of purple and yellow nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus and C. esculentus). Weed Tech, 1(1): 2-9.
• Kareem ST, Adebowale ARA, Sobukola OP, Adebisi MA, Obadina OA, Kajihausa OE, Keith T. 2015. Some quality attributes of high quality cassava-tigernut composite flour and its extruded snacks. J Culinary Sci and Tech, 13(3): 242–262.
• Krichene D, Artieda DA, Zarrouk M, Astiasarán I. 2016. Review on Cyperus esculentus: from food safety to pharmacotherapeutics. Int J Pharmacy, 3(1): 211–216.
• Maduka N, Ire SF. 2018. Tigernut Plant and Useful Application of Tigernut Tubers (Cyperus esculentus) - A Review. Current J App Sci and Tech, 29(3): 1–23.
• Merrell JL. 1975. The effects of flooding on chufa (Cyperus esculentus L.). M.S. Thesis, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, USA.
• Mohdaly AARAA. 2019. Tiger Nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) Oil. In: Ramadan MF, editor. Fruit Oils: Chemistry and Functionality. Egypt: Springer International Publishing; p. 243-269.
• Oyetoro AOA, Ogundipe OO, Adeyeye SAO, Akande EA, Akinyele AB. 2019. Production and evaluation of tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) milk flavored with moringa oleifera leaf extract. Current Res in Nutr and Food Sci, 7: 265–271.
• Pascual-Seva N, San Bautista A, López-Galarza S, Maroto JV, Pascual B. 2016. Response of drip-irrigated chufa (Cyperus esculentus L. var. sativus Boeck.) to different planting configurations: Yield and irrigation water-use efficiency. Agric Water Manag, 170: 140–147.
• Roselló-Soto E, Garcia A, Fessard A, Barba FJ, Munekata PES, Jose ML, Remize F. 2019. Nutritional and microbiological quality of tiger nut tubers (Cyperus esculentus), derived plant-based and lactic fermented beverages. Ferment, 5(1): 3.
• Suleiman MS, Olajide JE, Omale JA, Abbah OC, Ejembi DO. 2018. Proximate composition, mineral and some vitamin contents of tigernut (Cyperus esculentus). Clinical Invest, 8: 163-165.
• Wilma AM, Chester O. 1986. CHUFA (Cyperus esculentus). US Army Corps of Engineers Washington, DC 20314-1000: 3-5.
• Zohary D. 1986. The origin and early spread of agriculture in the Old World. In: Barigozzi C, editor. The origin and domestication of cultivated plants. Amsterdam: Elsevier; p. 3–20.