unfamiliar colors may explain why some multicolored crops or crops with different colored spots are not appreciated by consumers of New-Zealand. Nutrition Fresh tubers of ulluco are a valuable source of carbohydrates, comparable to one of the most world spread root crop, the potato. It contains also high fiber levels, moderate protein and only little fat (< 2%). Regarding the vitamin content, ulluco tubers contain a significant value of vitamin C (11.5 mg/100 g), higher than the commonly eaten vegetables such as carrots (6 mg/100 g) and celery but lower than yams (17.1 mg/100 g) or potato (19.7 mg/100 g). Dietary value variability is pronounced between cultivars. Little is known about the nutrition content of the leaves. They are nutritious and contain 12% protein dry weight. Carbohydrates The carbohydrates of ulluco are composed mainly of starch. But there is also a significant amount of mucilage, a heterogeneous and complex polysaccharide that is recognized as a type of soluble fiber. The mucilage level varies among tubers, high content gives to the raw tubers a gummy texture. Soaked in water or cut very finely are methods used to remove the greatest amount of mucilage from raw tubes,. The characteristic is also reduced or lost for cooked tubers. In South America, ulluco tubers with high mucilage content are popular for soups because they add a thicker texture. Proteins The proteins contained in the ulluco tubers are a source of amino acids as they contain all the essential amino acids in the human diet: lysine, threonine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine+tyrosine, tryptophan and methionine+cystine. Antioxidant activity Ulluco is a crop that contains betalains pigments in the base form of betacyanins and acid form of betaxanthins. Thirty two types of betalains have been reported in Ulluco, 20 in the form of betaxanthins and the remaining 12 in the form of betacyanins. Red or purple tuber varieties appear to have a high concentration of betacyanins. A high concentration of betaxanthins is responsible for the yellow or orange coloring of the tubers. In comparison to the three other Andean tuber crops - native potato, oca, and mashua - the antioxidant capacity of the ulluco is low. This is in part explained by the absence of flavonoids, carotenoids and anthocyanins pigments in Ulluco. These pigments are much more abundant sources of antioxidant compounds than betalains. The stability of the betalains pigments makes ulluco a promising industrial crop of natural