A study was made to characterize the physicochemical properties and quantify the free and total cyanide content of samples of "tucupi", a liquid extracted from bitter cassava (M. esculenta) and used as a sauce in the regional cuisine, sold in the city of Belém, state of Pará, Brazil. The moisture content ranged from 94.66 to 97.46%, the dry portion therefore representing 2.55 to 5.36%. The ash content varied from 0.18 to 1.08%. Total acidity of the analyzed samples ranged from 3.92 to 10.66 meq NaOH.100 mL-1. The product’s protein content was found to be low, ranging from 0.33 to 0.66%, while pH varied from 3.00 to 4.35. As for the free cyanide content, this was found to range from 9.47 to 46.86 mg HCN.kg-1, while the total cyanide showed wide variations among the samples, ranging from 55.58 to 157.17 mg HCN.kg-1.
Manhiot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae); cassava; cyanide
