In 2020, a pitiful cassava poisoning occurred in Nam Ninh City, Guangxi Province (China), causing 3 hospitalized and 1 child to die.This heartbreaking incident is a wake -up scene for people about how to process familiar types of tubers.

Cassava is a familiar food in many families' meals, but few people know that this tubers contain toxins that can be deadly if not properly processed.According to experts, toxins in cassava tubers are concentrated mainly in the roots, stems and leaves.In this type of tubers, cyanide is linked to sugar molecules in the form of glycoside cyanogen.

The unfortunate case of a boy in Guangxi has gone after eating a large amount of cassava that has not been carefully processed.Experts recommend that people should be very careful when using cassava as food, especially children, the elderly and pregnant women.Before processing, it is necessary to remove all the skin and the outer layer of cassava tubers, soaked in water for 6-8 hours to remove toxins.Cassava broth also needs to be completely removed.

Talking to the reporter of Health & Life Newspaper, Assoc.Nguyen Duy Thinh, former lecturer of the Institute of Biotechnology and Food, the University of Polytechnic said,The cyanide poisoning in food occurs when people who eat cassava are not properly processed.

How to prepare cassava safely

Although cyanide poison is very toxic, it has water -soluble properties, evaporates at high temperatures.So, to enjoy safe food, remember to follow the following steps:

1. Choose intact cassava tubers

Be careful when choosing cassava tubers.Stay away from the tubers with signs of decomposition such as purple pattern or blue pattern, because this is evidence that cyanide may have spread throughout the bulb.

2. Pre -processing carefully

The outer shell, the two ends of the cassava, and the core are the most accumulated cyanide.Therefore, the process of preliminary processing should be done carefully by peeling the shell, cutting at both ends and removing the core before processing.

3. Soak cassava in water

Toxins like cyanide can be dissolved in water, so soaked in cassava in cold water for at least a few hours before cooking will help reduce toxins.

4. Cook properly

Boiled cassava in water and let the pot open the swing so that the cyanide vapor can evaporate.Make sure that cassava tubers are carefully cooked at high temperatures for long enough to decompose toxins.

5. Appropriate time and temperature

Cassava needs to be completely cooked.Cassava should not be consumed, because cyanide may not be completely decomposed.

6. Do not eat cassava when hungry

Eating cassava on hungry stomach increases the risk of toxicity due to the body absorbing toxins faster.

7. Subjects need to pay special attention

Elderly and children under 3 years old have weaker digestive systems, so they avoid eating cassava and bamboo shoots.In the event of the elderly, the consumption of bamboo shoots can cause indigestion and intestinal obstruction.

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