Vietnam is an agricultural country, however for the people who live in the Central and Central Highlands areas, the unfavorable weather and land condition lead to their low rice productivity. Therefor, those people would have to live based on other food sources as potatoes, cassava. Cassava tubers are very rich in starch (76.2 to 77.2 percent), on the other hand, are very poor in protein (2.2 to 2.7 percent) and the skin of cassava contain cyanide toxicity which is harmful to human health. In contrast, the cassava leaves are rich in protein (25-30 percent) but contain cyanide toxic with 3-4 times higher than cassava roots. Linamarin in cassava containing cyanide group (-CN) which belong to the O-glycozit compound. When this compound is absorbed into the body, it will be tumed into xyanhidric acid (HCN) which is an intoxicating substances that can cause vomiting, sometimes leading to death if substance level is too high. Objectives: 1. Investigate the situation on cassava poisoning in Binh Thuan and Kon Tum province in recent years. 2. Analyze and evaluate levels of cyanide in tubers, high-yielding cassava fresh leaves (boiling, pickling) in Binh Thuan and Kon Tum province in 2012, then propose solutions to reduce food poisoning due to cassava consuming. Target population: Personnel officers of Sub-Department of food hygiene and safety, District Medical Centers at the investigation provinces as Binh Thuan and Kon Tum
The producers, consumers in these investigation district in Binh Thuan and Kon Tum provinces
Some industried cassava types which are grown in Binh Thuan and Kon Tum provinces. Results: At Binh Thuan and Kon Tum province, the investigation shows that, in recent years, the poisoning caused by industried cassava are still occured mainly in young people. Cyanide concentration in high-yielding cassava tubers is ranged from 57.4 to 278.9 mg per kg, in cassava leaves is much higher from 120.5 to 656.8 mg per kg. In pickling cassava leaves, depending on the time of processing, the contrentration is varry from 10.9 to 105.8 mg per kg, ranged from 3.4 to 113.9 mg per kg in cassava tubers depending on the processing.