title: Low cyanide exposure from consumption of cassava in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
abstract: The extent of cyanide exposure from cassava consumption was studied in low income suburbs of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Mean cyanogen levels in sun-dried root pieces called makopa was 9.4 (range 0-79) mg HCN equivalents kg(-1) dry weight. The mean glucoside and hydrogen cyanide levels were 6.4 and 3.2 mg HCN equivalents kg(-1) dry weight, respectively, while cyanohydrins were lower with a mean of 2.0 (range 0-27) equivalents kg(-1) dry weight. Food frequency interviews with 193 schoolchildren revealed that 13% of the children consumed cassava stiff porridge in the previous week. Fried cassava pieces were consumed by 82% and boiled cassava pieces by 49% of the children. The urinary thiocyanate in these children was 36 +/- 3 (mean +/- SEM) micromol l(-1) and mean urinary linamarin level was 18 +/- 1 micromol l(-1), indicating low cyanide exposure. Multiple regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between urinary thiocyanate and consumption of boiled cassava pieces as well as between urinary linamarin levels and daily intake of fried cassava pieces.
authors.affiliation: Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre, Dar es Salaam.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mlingi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abrahamsson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gebre-Medhin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rosling
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006027:Glycosides / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D006856:Hydrogen Cyanide / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D002365:Manihot / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000506:poisoning; D009570:Nitriles / Q000652:urine; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000506:poisoning; D013636:Tanzania; D013861:Thiocyanates / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D006027:Glycosides; D009570:Nitriles; D013861:Thiocyanates; C007173:cyanogenic glycosides; D006856:Hydrogen Cyanide; C005091:linamarin; C031760:thiocyanate