Colocasia esculenta (taro) as gel medium for gel electrophoresis [author]: Alday, Alexandra B., Alvarez, Anna Philornena L., Arellano, Charles Patrick T., Atencio, Francheska Mikyle R. Caneda, Janelle R., Domingo, lixie Mae E., Gojo Cruz, Margarita B., Gonzalez, Mia Lauren A., Tavares, Sharon C. Valdoz, Marione Caryle A., Vicencio, Alyssa Nicole A.

Includes Appendix

ABSTRACT:
Agarose served as the conventional gel matrix employed in gel electrophoresis, yet, its cost and limited accessibility in developing nations pose challenges. In the Philippines, Taro, a crop cultivated year-round and abundantly available, boasts a /0-80% starch content, emerging as a promising alternative gel matrix in electrophoresis. To determine the concentration to be used to make an effective gel medium, varying concentrations of Taro (1.5%, 2% 2.5%, 3%, 3.5% and 4%) were prepared and assessed for its compatibility as a gei medium for gei electrophoresis. Bacteriological grade agar powder was used in the experiment as an additive to Taro concentrations to obtain a more stable gel medium. A comparative analysis was conducted
between Colocasia encaenia and agarose gels, focusing on key parameters including the concentration to create a stable gel medium, effects of voltage on the integrity of the medium, efficiency in separating DNA fragments, and the visualization of DNA bands using ultraviolet illumination. Using a Likert scale the geis were graded according to the parameters mentioned. and then the results were compared and analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis H test and Pairwise comparison. From the inferred results, Pure taro gel medium was not able to solidify hence, it was not further tested with the succeeding parameters. Agar was added to the Pure taro. resulting in a stable gel medium. Pairwise comparisons revealed that Pure Taro gel did not show
a significant difference compared to agarose, suggesting the potential for Taro as a starch source for gei medium when supplemented with agar. The taro-based gei may offer certain advantages, such as having a high starch content, however, it may not be as compatible as the performance of agarose gels due to differences in gel strength, purity, consistency, and
visualization of bands. The study recommends further testing by utilizing a different purification method and reagent and the use of instruments to uniformly pulverize the Taro powder.
Keywords: Gel electrophoresis, Colocasia esculenta, Taro, alternative gel matrix, DNA fragment separation, UV visualization

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