Botany and Zoology, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2011 Mar;49(3):539-42. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2010.04.049. Epub 2010 May 25.
Cassava contains cyanogenic glucosides which are hydrolysed by an enzyme linamarase to produce cyanohydrins which breakdown to toxic cyanide. Cyanide ingestion from bitter cassava can cause cyanide poisoning sometimes leading to death and also konzo, an irreversible paralysis of the legs which occurs mainly in children and young women. In 2005 we developed a simple wetting method that reduces the total cyanide content of cassava flour 3-6-fold. It involves wetting the flour, spreading it in a thin layer in the shade for 5h and using it the same day to make traditional thick porridge (ugali). The method was readily accepted by rural women and requires no additional equipment or water. Laminated, illustrated posters describing the method are available for free in ten languages, see http://online.anu.edu.au/BoZo/CCDN/. An equally effective treatment method is to expose wet flour in a thin layer in the sun for 2h. Projects for rehabilitation and prevention of konzo occurred in Mozambique in 2007 and in 2008-2009 in Tanzania, funded by AusAID. The Ministry of Health in Mozambique is now using our posters in Macua. In Uvira DRC, the wetting method has been taught in many villages and over 1200 posters distributed.
木薯含有氰苷，这些氰苷可被一种称为亚麻苦苷酶的酶水解，产生氰醇，氰醇进一步分解产生有毒的氰化物。食用苦味木薯可能导致氰化物中毒，有时甚至导致死亡，还会引发一种不可逆转的腿部瘫痪症，即“脚气病”，这种病主要发生在儿童和年轻妇女身上。2005 年，我们开发了一种简单的润湿方法，可将木薯粉中的总氰化物含量降低 3 至 6 倍。该方法涉及润湿木薯粉，将其铺在阴凉处的薄层中 5 小时，然后当天用于制作传统的浓稠粥（乌伽黎）。该方法受到农村妇女的欢迎，不需要额外的设备或水。我们以十种语言免费提供描述该方法的层压、带插图的海报，网址为 http://online.anu.edu.au/BoZo/CCDN/。另一种同样有效的处理方法是将湿面粉暴露在阳光下的薄层中 2 小时。在 2007 年和 2008-2009 年期间，澳大利亚国际发展署资助在莫桑比克和坦桑尼亚开展了康复和预防脚气病的项目。莫桑比克卫生部现在在马库阿使用我们的海报。在刚果民主共和国的乌维拉，该润湿方法已在许多村庄进行了教学，并分发了超过 1200 份海报。
