Cassava is one of the major dietary stable for a large percentage of the population of tropical Africa and other parts of the world, and is likely to remain the biggest single source of calories for the poor in the continents. An important drawback to increase cassava use for human and animal feeding is its cyanogenic potential, or ability to generate hydrogen cyanide, a well – known poison with potential acute and chronic metabolic effects in human.
This project work deals with the determination of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) concentration in cassava tubers (using the bitter varieties) collected from Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) premises with respect to four days fermentation period using Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer (AAS).
The result shows that the concentration of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) decreases with increase in fermentation period, and based on the safe limit given by the us food and drug administration (FDA) and others, a safe fermentation period for cassava before processing it to produce garri is deduced.
Cyanide, is usually found in compounds. It can interact with metals and other organic compounds. Cyanide refers to all of the cyanide compounds that can be determined as the cyanide ion, CN. The cyanide ion is a conjugate base of a weak acid, hydrogen cyanide, which is an extremely poisonous gas with an almond odor. Other forms of cyanide compounds are sodium cyanide (NaCN) and potassium cyanide (KCN). Cyanide can be produced by certain organism (e.g bacteria, fungi and algae), and equally present in plants. Cyanide ion is one of the most rapidly working po isons. Lethal doeses taken orally act in minutes, cyanide, poisons by asphyxiation, as does carbon monoxide, but the mechanism is different. Instead of preventing the cells from getting oxygen, cyanide interferes with oxidative enzymes, such as cytochrome oxidize, which is vital to every cell in use of oxygen. Oxidizes are enzymes containing metal usually iron or copper. Cyanide binds tightly to the enzyme cytochrome C and forms stable cyanide complexes with Fe3+ ion and inactivates the enzyme system.
Much of the cyanide in soil, water and air comes from industrial processes gold mining, waste waters from starch industry. The major source of cyanide in water are discharges from metal mining processes, other sources include exhaust, release from certain chemical industries, municipal waste burning and use of pesticides containing cyanide. Underground water can be contaminated by cyanide present in landfills. In other body, cyanide can combines with plants foods including almonds, millet sprouts, lima beans, soy spinach, bamboo shoots and cassava roots, cyanide occurs as part of naturally occurring sugars or other complex organic compounds.
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