Cassava crop filled with cyanide
In sufficient quantities, cyanide can cause poisoning and death in humans and animals when consumed. Image: kohlhoff/iStockphoto A staple crop, known as cassava, in southeast Africa contains levels of toxins above those recommended safe for human consumption, a new study has found.Levels of poisonous cyanide toxins in excess of World Health Organisation standards were found in the leaves and tuberous roots of cassava plants being grown in regions with drier climates in Mozambique.The AusAID funded study was led by Dr Tim Cavagnaro and his team from the School of Biological Sciences and Australian Centre for Biodiversity at Monash University in collaboration with scientists in Mozambique.In sufficient quantities, cyanide can cause poisoning and death in humans and animals when consumed. The low concentrations generally found in cassava to help protect it from pests are considered harmless.In regions where cassava is a primary part of the diet, Dr Cavagnaro said appropriate processing procedures were...