ISHS Acta Horticulturae 375: International Workshop on Cassava Safety
CASSAVA IN AMAZONIA: LESSONS IN UTILIZATION AND SAFETY FROM NATIVE PEOPLES |
| Author: | Darna L. Dufour |
| Keywords: | Manihot esculenta, bitter, sweet, cyanogenic glucosides, toxicity |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1994.375.15 |
| Abstract:
Cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the traditional dietary staple of indigenous peoples in Amazonia. Bitter cultivars appear to have been more important than sweet, and were used primarily in the form of casabe (bread) and fariña (meal). Tukanoan Indians in northwest Amazonia rely on cassava cultivars with high cyanogenic potential for about 80% of dietary caloric intake. Their cassava processing techniques are elaborate, and very efficient in reducing the cyanogen levels of their cassava-based foods. They are also highly standardized within the culture. None of the disorders which have been associated with high cassava diets in Africa have been found in Tukanoans or other indigenous groups on cassava-based diets in Amazonia. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
