Cassava peel, a by-product of cassava root processing, can be used as food if processed properly. It is important to note that the high-cyanogenic glycoside content in cassava plants has the potential to produce hydrogen cyanide (HCN), which has been proven to cause health problems. Therefore, it would be beneficial to consider a method that could help reduce HCN levels. This study explored the impact of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and heating on the HCN of cassava peel during the initial stage of food processing. This study is experimental in nature, as a follow-up to previous research. The cassava tuber skin was separated from the outer layer with care, then washed thoroughly and sliced 2 mm thick. The experiment was conducted on 20 g of cassava peel, with the addition of 30 g and 60 g of NaHCO3, and a heating temperature of 55°C for 15 min of exposure. The results showed that the group of cassava peel samples with a dose of 60 g of NaHCO3 heated at a temperature of 55°C showed the lowest HCN content, namely 0.193 ± 0.015 mg/100 g from the initial HCN of cassava peel of 1.6024 mg/100 g. This indicates a reduction of 1.409 (87.9%), which is a significant finding. In conclusion, it appears that a combination of NaHCO3 and heating at 55°C could be considered as a method to reduce HCN levels in the preprocessing stage of cassava peel.
Narwati et al. (Thu,) studied this question.