Catalog of Herbs
James A. Duke in Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, 2018
Cassava is grown primarily for the tubers which are used as foodstuff. Tubers may be eaten raw, boiled, fried, or in baked goods. Since there may be HCN in the skin even of sweet varieties, they must be peeled before eating. In bitter varieties the HCN is throughout the root, and these must be cooked before using. From the manioc tuber are obtained starch, farina, a whole flour, grated manioc, and tapioca. Tapioca is used as a thickener in puddings and soups; an industrial starch is used in baked goods, laundry, and paper industries, and for sizing cotton fabrics and other textiles; from the starch a glue is prepared useable on postage stamps. Young leaves are high in vitamin B and are a good remedy for beri-ben, but they have the highest HCN content; however, they are sometimes used as a green vegetable and for hog feed. In the Philippines tubers are reduced to a pulp, wrapped with shredded coconut meats and sugar in banana leaves, and boiled; then served as a dessert (suman). Roots may be used as a fodder for livestock. Cassava is also the source of alcoholic beverages and/or power alcohol. Plant used as a fish poison.
Back to the Future – The Prospects of African Indigenous Crops as Future Foods
David R. Katerere, Wendy Applequist, Oluwaseyi M. Aboyade, Chamunorwa Togo in Traditional and Indigenous Knowledge for the Modern Era, 2019
Cassava is the third most important source of calories in the tropics after rice and maize (IFAD/FAO 2005). Although cassava grows under conditions of high humidity in more than 100 tropical and subtropical countries, the cultivated species is thought to have originated in the Amazon (Howeler et al. 2013). It was introduced to Africa in the 16th century by Portuguese traders from Brazil (IFAD/FAO 2005). This crop grows to 30° North and South of the equator at up to 2000 m above sea level. It prefers annual mean temperatures between 25 and 29°C and rainfall of 1000–1500 mm, although in some regions it thrives on about 500 mm. This makes the crop also drought-resilient. Soils where cassava yield is excellent are acidic (pH 4.5–6.5) and deep with transitional fertility (Lim 2016). Worldwide, about 129.02 million tons of cassava tubers are produced annually on about 14.150 million hectares (Balagopalan 1988). About 800 million people depend on the tuber (Howeler et al. 2013). About 60% of the sub-Saharan African population relies on cassava as a staple food (Oti et al. 2011). In South Africa, cassava is a secondary crop grown by smallholder farmers for commercial and food-grade starch, with about 20,000 tons produced annually (DAFF 2010).
The safety and quality of food
Geoffrey P. Webb in Nutrition, 2019
Traditional methods of preparing, processing and selecting foods often minimises any potential hazard they may represent. Cassava is one of the most important staple foods for millions of people in the tropics; it may, for example, provide up to 60% of the calorific intake in some Nigerians. Cassava contains certain alkaloids that release cyanide when acted upon by an enzyme in the cassava. The traditional method of preparing cassava involves peeling and soaking for several days and most of the cyanide is lost due to fermentation. Cases of sometimes fatal cyanide poisoning are associated with inadequate processing of the cassava (particularly shortening of the fermentation time) and increased use of lower quality “bitter” cassava which has higher cyanide content. As another example, polar bear liver contains toxic concentrations of retinol. Eskimos avoided eating the liver but unwary polar explorers have been poisoned by eating it.
Cyanide poisoning in Thailand before and after establishment of the National Antidote Project*
Published in Clinical Toxicology, 2018
Sahaphume Srisuma, Aimon Pradoo, Panee Rittilert, Sunun Wongvisavakorn, Achara Tongpoo, Charuwan Sriapha, Wannapa Krairojananan, Netnapis Suchonwanich, Sumana Khomvilai, Winai Wananukul
Regionality and timing of cases in this study might be related to the large rate of exposure to cassava (243, 70.8%). The greatest number of cases was reported from north-eastern and eastern regions, both major cassava-producing areas of Thailand [14]. The exposures peaked in December and January, in the middle of the cassava-harvesting period of November to March [14]. Incidence of cases over time showed an increase in 2008 that plateaued until 2014 and then increased again in 2015. The initial increase in 2008 might have correlated with the promotion of cassava for bio-fuel production in 2008 [15,16] and the influence of local news outlets that reported a death from cassava ingestion in December 2007 [17]. The increased incidence of cases in 2015 may be from greater vigilance and heightened awareness by health care providers after additional educational programs through the implementation of the NAP.
Cassava toxicity, detoxification and its food applications: a review
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2021
Anil Panghal, Claudia Munezero, Paras Sharma, Navnidhi Chhikara
Cassava roots are predominantly starchy food and are poor in protein compared to other starchy foods such as maize and sorghum. The protein content is low and varies from 1% to 3% on dw basis. Amino acid profile of cassava flours is usually poor except for arginine and glutamic acid. Cassava contains significantly less amount of fat (0.1–0.3%) as compared to maize and sorghum. It constitutes about 45% of nonpolar lipids and 52% of different glycolipids predominantly galactose-diglycerides (Montagnac et al.2009).
Ethanol production from cassava starch by protoplast fusants of Wickerhamomyces anomalus and Galactomyces candidum
Published in Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2020
Tolulope Modupe Adeleye, Sharafadeen Olateju Kareem, Mobolaji O. Bankole, Olusegun Atanda, Abideen I. Adeogun
The ethanol production process is significantly influenced by the cost of raw materials and their processing, which together accounts for over half of the total production cost. Starchy materials such as cassava yield more alcohol on a weight/weight basis. Given optimum conditions, ethanol production from cassava gives the highest yield which may be up to 6 tonnes/ha, in comparison with other main ethanol crops [9]. As a carbohydrate food reserve in plants, starch is a major energy source for non-photosynthetic organisms. It is abundant in nature and composed of amylose and amylopectin [10]. As a source of starch, raw cassava as a crop has advantages in production. Its ability to give moderate yield even in poor soils presents bio-ethanol production from cassava as a viable industry in Nigeria as well as in many other African countries [11]. Nigeria has been the largest producer of cassava which is one of the richest fermentable crops for ethanol production [12]. The demand for ethanol for domestic consumption in Nigeria is rated at 200 million liters per annum. Cassava which is a relatively low-cost raw material can be converted into other commercially viable products thereby strengthening the rural economies and boost cassava farmers’ incomes in many developing countries. The use of the available large areas of fertile land for cultivation of ethanol crops will not only encourage farming in developing countries but will also provide for foreign earning given that appropriate technologies and economically viable processes for ethanol production from agricultural biomass are put in place [13]. The world ethanol consumption stands at about 100 billion liters, of which only about 13% is non-fuel (beverage, industrial, cosmetics, etc.). However, only about 10% of global ethanol production has been commercialized. Statistics have shown that not enough ethanol is becoming available to meet the rapidly growing worldwide demand [6].