A Rapid and Inexpensive Enzymatic Assay for Total Cyanide in Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and Cassava Products

Abstract

The well-known alkaline picrate test for cyanide has been improved by incorporating an enzymatic step to make the assay much more specific and quantitative. The sensitivity or detection limit of this method was found to be 0.16 µg/cm3 while the precision as indicated by the coefficient of variation was 3 %. The method was, in addition, found to be rapid, simple, inexpensive and ideally suited for the analysis of large number of cassava tissues and products, such as may be encountered in cassava agronomy and breeding work or in industrial quality control laboratories. A trained operator working alone consistently analyzed at least 700 samples/day using this assay method. © 1980, Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.