Cassava Culture, Don't Eat That Cassava!

[Guest guest]

CASSAVA CULTURE, DON'T EAT THAT CASSAVA!

 

The cassava plant is now the world's third largest source of low cost

carbohydrates especially for populations in the humid tropics, with

Africa as its largest center of production. It originated in Brazil,

and it is now brought to the world, especially to the African

continent and all parts of Southeast Asia as well as many parts in

the US. It is the principal source of nutrition for about 600 million

people or even more around the world. Cassava roots are very rich in

starch, and contain significant amounts of protein, minerals,

vitamins A, B and C.

 

Yes, we understood that cassava is an important edible plant, but you

should know that it could be poisonous if not prepared correctly. It

is the reason the Japanese Ministry of Health prohibits the use of

cassava for human consumption.

 

CYANIDE POISONING

 

The toxin in cassava is called " linamarin " . It is chemically similar

to sugar but with a CN ion attached. When eaten raw, the human

digestive system will convert this to cyanide poison. Just a few

pieces of cassava roots contain a fatal dose of poison.

 

We often see it not only on TV news programs but also on local

tabloid papers, where school students were killed after eating

cassava cake for their snacks. Many of those who prepared cassava

cakes rushed to the nearby hospitals when they ate it. The reason of

death was due to " cyanide poisoning " .

 

Cassava is traditionally boiled, or processed as an ingredient for

native cakes in many tropical countries. Cassava is a staple food for

many poor families. A popular delicacy among schoolchildren is deep-

fried cassava coated with sugar.

 

Cassava in Mozambique, AfricaOne hundred years ago, a group of

Japanese immigrants went to Brazil for coffee planting, and in search

of green pasture. That was the time when Japan was so poor and

suffered from food shortage. However, when they arrived to Brazil, to

their surprise, there were no support of foods and farmland that were

promised by the Brazilian government. The Japanese immigrants planted

cassava just to survive on the poor unfertile land. Cassava can grow

easily on non-fertile lands. Many died due to hard life and cassava

poisoning, and only a few immigrants survived with cassava as their

main source of food. On our history record of Japanese immigrants to

Brazil, only three Japanese survived up to the end of WWII.

 

BITTER AND SWEET VARIETIES

 

It was known that the bitter kinds of cassava are more poisonous than

the sweet varieties. I believe the bitterness of cassava is caused by

under-dried and infertile and gravel-conditioned land.

 

Yes, it is an easy plant to grow in all land conditions as long as

the climate does not go below 15 degrees Celsius, and it gives a good

yield. It can be harvested after about one year to 18 months

depending upon the fertile land conditions and climate. Water and

fertilizer are important to have sweet cassava or less toxic crop.

The young and fresh leaves may be cooked as vegetable with coconut

milk. The tubers contain large amounts of starch, which is processed

into flour.

 

Cassava roots that are still attached to the stalk remain good for

many months if stored under the ground. Once harvested, however,

deterioration begins quickly. When the cassava root is converted from

starch to sugar, a number of enzymatic reactions will take place,

which causes discoloration of the product and reduces its nutrition

value. Bacterial and fungal deterioration also occur.

 

According to scientific studies, the bitter variety of cassava

contains large amounts of the cyanogenic glycosides " linamarin "

and " lotaustralin " . Toxic elements are concentrated on its surface or

peel. The toxic substances may affect the liver, kidney, and some

parts of the brain when the poisons are accumulated in the body. We

suspect that the toxic substances in cassava may involve destroying

the pituitary gland that causes liver and kidney damage.

 

HOW TO LESSEN THE TOXICITY OF CASSAVA

 

To avoid exposure to the toxin, sweet cassava should be prepared

before eating. Peel and slice the cassava and then cook it

thoroughly, either by baking, boiling or roasting. Grating the root

and prolonged soaking of the gratings in water will leach out the

cyanide, reducing the levels of toxin. The best way for human

consumption is to extract starch by condensation method.

 

Probably, cassava roots are best applied for animal feeds and

industrial uses rather than for human consumption.

 

However, I myself planted hundreds of cassava plants as fence plants

surrounding my two acres of mountainside land in the Philippines.

Everyday, the farm caretakers harvest a couple of cassava tubers for

their snacks. How did I instruct them to eat it? You can grate it and

add water. Squeeze the water to get white milk, and wait for the

sedimentation of starch. The starch is mixed with powdered milk, egg

or other rice powder or flour, sugar or honey. Now, you can bake or

cook it as " hotcake " or " bread " . If you prefer noodles, add salt

instead of sugar or honey.

 

In this way, detoxification of cassava is at least adequate according

to laboratory tests. But we are not sure yet, because we might find

new strain of toxic component in cassava, tomorrow. I feel that

cassava poisoning may cause some brain damage related to the

pituitary gland that causes other damage to various organs. No wonder

the Japanese Ministry of Health prohibits the use of cassava as a

food.

 

 

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About the Author:

Junji Takano is a Japanese health researcher involved in

investigating the cause of various diseases since 1960. In 1968, he

invented Pyro-Energen, the first electrotherapy device that

eradicates viral disease, cancer, and diseases of unknown cause

effectively without side effects.

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