Selecting and Introducing Preferable Methods of Cyanide Removal from Cassava Root in Selected Iodine Deficiency Disordered (IDD) Areas of Wolaita Zone

Abstract

Cassava is a major source of food in developing countries, but consumption of cassava products that contain large amounts of cyanogens can cause cyanide poisoning. Identification of highly effective methods or procedures that reduce the cyanogens contained in cassava roots which require no sophisticated equipment, and can readily be adopted by  users is of tremendous importance. So the aim of the study was to select and introduce the best methods of cyanide removal from cassava by the detoxification methods: fermentation, sun drying, boiling, milling and ANU (wetting) methods. And to assess the iodine status of the community, urine samples were selected from the health centers for urinary iodine excretion test. The result obtained indicates that the most compatible methods for reduction of the cyanide from the cassava was found to be the ANU (wetting) methods and fermentation methods, which reduces 94.55% and 90.35% mean reduction of cyanide respectively. The median urinary iodine concentration (38.27µg/L) was also found in study site confirms that the area is moderately affected by iodine deficiency. So there is need to use improved methods of processing that greatly reduce the total cyanide content of flour like fermentation and wetting methods, to lower cyanide concentration to be blow WHO tolerance limits. The occurrence of IDD is very probably due to high cyanide intake over several years from mainly high cassava consumer.

Keywords: Cassava, cyanide, urinary iodine, detoxification, wetting, fermentation.