Cyanide And Cooking Bamboo Shoots

Logan-

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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.
 

Kartoffel

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I think it will be hard to find any that aren't already cooked to the point where cyanide is not a concern. At least in Western countries. In Germany, it is not even allowed so sell them raw in super markets.
 
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Logan-

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Do you thinks cans that contain the bamboo shoots are problematic, due to heavy metal leakage from the can, and the bamboos absorbing them?
I think it will be hard to find any that aren't already cooked to the point where cyanide is not a concern. At least in Western countries. In Germany, it is not even allowed so sell them raw in super markets.
 

Kartoffel

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Do you thinks cans that contain the bamboo shoots are problematic, due to heavy metal leakage from the can, and the bamboos absorbing them?

I think there is no greater risk than with any other canned food. The risk is probably greater when there is a preservative like ascorbic acid or citric acid reacting with the can's surface. I think most cans are made of aluminum or have a tin surface. I think the risk is comparatively small that you get too much aluminum or tin from canned bamboo. If you want to be sure, you could buy them in a gas, although that's likely to be significantly more expensive.
 
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I think there is no greater risk than with any other canned food. The risk is probably greater when there is a preservative like ascorbic acid or citric acid reacting with the can's surface. I think most cans are made of aluminum or have a tin surface. I think the risk is comparatively small that you get too much aluminum or tin from canned bamboo. If you want to be sure, you could buy them in a gas, although that's likely to be significantly more expensive.
Couldn't a quick boil, maybe 10 minutes, of the bamboo shoots in some milky water draw out the metals, before adding them into a recipe?
 

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