Detoxification of cassava during fermentation with a mixed culture inoculum

Abstract

AbstractThe efficacy of a mixed culture inoculum in detoxifying intact cassava tuber and peel pieces was investigated. Fermented cassava tuber and peel pieces had more linamarase activity than the non‐fermented control samples and this might have resulted partly from the release of endogenous linamarase from the retted tuber/peel pieces and partly due to the microbial linamarase. Approximately 24–26% of the total cyanide remained in the bound form in the fermented tuber while 67–79% existed as bound cyanide in the non‐fermented controls. In cassava peels, only 15–33% of total cyanide remained in bound form after 72 h fermentation while 58–59% cyanide existed in bound form in the parallel non‐fermented control peels. Free cyanide which could be easily eliminated through sun‐drying was present at higher concentrations in the fermented tuber and peel compared with the non‐fermented samples. The study showed that cassava tuber and peel could be extensively detoxified through fermentation with a mixed culture inoculum.