ABSTRACT

 Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is a cyanogenic plant which is toxic when consumed without proper processing. Cassava contains the cyanogenic glycoside, linamarin which is hydrolyzed by the enzyme linamarase to yield corresponding cyanohydrins which is further decomposed to release hydrogen cyanide (HCN) which is toxic. This study aimed at determining the total cyanide, free cyanide and bound cyanide in garri samples from Ebonyi State, South East Nigeria to re-evaluate the dietary exposure of cyanide. The cyanide content of garri samples was determined using the colorimetric alkaline picrate method with slight modification because ofits simplicity and inexpensiveness than other qualitative methods. The total cyanide represent the total of all cyanide including the free and bound cyanide. The concentration of total cyanide in garri from Afikpo south was the highest (17.53±0.15 mg/kg) while the sample from Ikwo was the lowest (9.77±0.03 mg/kg). About 80% of all samples contained <10 mg/kg bound cyanide. The concentration of cyanide varied significantly (p<0.05) within the local government areas, these differences were attributed to environmental factors, specie ofcassava and lack ofstandardization ofprocessing methods. This study showed that the cassava products from Ebonyi State contained high amount oftotal cyanide and are not safe for consumption as they do not meet the WHO standard for cyanide content in cassava of lOmg/kg.