title: Reduction of some toxicants in Icacina mannii by fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
abstract: The effect of fermentation on the level of some toxic components (hydrocyanic acid, phytic acid and oxalic acid) of Icacina mannii paste was investigated. The results indicate that fermentation caused a decrease in the level of these toxicants ranging from 178 mg/kg to 70 mg/kg for hydrocyanic acid, 638 mg/kg to 463 mg/kg for oxalic acid and 49 mg/kg to 21 mg/kg for phytic acid. When the paste was supplemented with active cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae there was a marked decrease in the level of the three toxicants ranging from 84 mg/kg to 16 mg/kg for hydrocyanic acid, 374 mg/kg to 88 mg/kg for oxalic acid and 24 mg/kg to 5 mg/kg for phytic acid. Supplementing the paste with yeast cells at a concentration of 7.5 g/kg before fermenting, resulted in approximately a 90% reduction in the level of the three toxic compounds after 144 hours of fermentation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Antai
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nkwelang
mesh_terms: D005285:Fermentation; D005511:Food Handling; D006801:Humans; D006856:Hydrogen Cyanide / Q000032:analysis; D019815:Oxalic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D010833:Phytic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D010945:Plants, Edible / Q000737:chemistry*; D011042:Poisons / Q000032:analysis*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011042:Poisons; D006856:Hydrogen Cyanide; D010833:Phytic Acid; D019815:Oxalic Acid