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Pretreatment of fruit and vegetables is necessary to reduce microbial proliferation and to preserve color of the produce. The effect of drying and pretreatment with potassium metabisulfite (KMBS) of concentrations 0.0%, 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.2%, and 1.0% and blanching at 100°C and 50°C using a tent-like concrete solar (CSD) dryer as compared to open-sun drying (OSD) of yellow ginger rhizomes was investigated using routine methods. The total color change and residual sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) were analyzed. KMBS reduced the yeast and mould load significantly from 3.6 × 10 4  ± 1.4 × 10 3  CFU/g in 0.0% (control) to <10 CFU/g in 1.0% KMBS and 100°C blanched fresh samples. Drying of the fresh samples for 5 days increased the yeast and mould load of all the treatments to as high as 1.15 × 10 5  ± 2.12 × 10 4  CFU/g for the 1.0% KMBS. Overall, the CSD had fewer microbial loads than the OSD but it was not significant. Aflatoxins and Salmonella sp. were not detected in any of the samples. The sulfur dioxide residue (SO 2 ) for KMBS pretreated samples increased as the concentration of KMBS increased with the CSD retaining slightly higher amount than the OSD. The total color change index increased with increase in KMBS, and drying further increased the total color change index. On the whole, the blanched samples had the least color change among the pretreatments with 100°C CSD showing the least change among the dried samples., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest., (© 2020 The Authors. Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The critical role of indigenous crops in the socioeconomic growth of developing nations has necessitated calls for accelerated exploitation of staples. Cocoyam, Xanthosoma sagittifolium, is food for over 400 million people worldwide and is the most consumed aroid in West Africa. However, it remains an underexploited food resource. This study reviews existing literature and also makes use of primary data from interviews with indigenous cocoyam farmers, processors, consumers, and cocoyam scientists in the research Institutes of Ghana, to provide insight into existing nomenclature of the species, indigenous knowledge on food uses, nutritional value, and potential novel food applications of cocoyam. Adaptable technologies in conformity to new trends in food science that could be employed for in-depth molecular studies and further exploitation of the crop are also discussed. It is envisaged that the provided information would contribute to global efforts aimed at exploiting the full potential of indigenous crops for sustainable food and nutrition security.