Abstract
INBAR is involved in an active research programme to develop new food products from bamboo shoots. The objective of the research programme is to stimulate new uses of bamboo shoots in existing markets and to assist developing food security in food-poor areas. A concern in this project is that, although cyanide is unknown as a problem in the Chinese bamboo shoots food industry, there are several reports elsewhere of bamboo species containing significant, potentially very toxic, amounts of cyanogenic glycosides in their shoots. There is very little published material, however the available material does confirm that some bamboo species do indeed contain very high levels of cyanogenic glycosides in their shoots. There are clear differences between species and insufficient information to generalise. More work by national agricultural research institutes is necessary. The cyanogenic glycoside in bamboo is taxiphyllin. Taxiphyllin is unusual amongst the 60 or so known similar compounds in that it degrades readily in boiling water. Thus the normal preparation of bamboo shoots should remove any problem. However in extending the use of bamboo shoot eating to other regions a problem may occur if people prepare bamboo shoots in a manner similar to that used for another cyanogenic crop (cassava) in Africa.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265189419_Cyanide_in_Bamboo_Shoots Cyanide in Bamboo Shoots
https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/publications/documents/28_Cyanogenic_glycosides.pdf
CYANOGENIC GLYCOSIDES IN CASSAVA AND BAMBOO SHOOTS
A Human Health Risk Assessment
Precooking processing of bamboo shoots for removal of anti-nutrients
Are bamboo shoots toxic? - Bamboo Forums
A mass cyanide poisoning from pickling bamboo shoots. - PubMed - NCBI
Cook them.