Nutritional Evaluation of Gari Diets from Varying Fermentation Time Using Animal Model

The implications of consumption of dietary cyanide from gari were investigated by feeding trials on experimental rats (Rattus norwagicus) in this study. The biological assay technique was used to assess diets formulated from gari (fermented cassava product) processed for zero, 24, 48, 72h and control (corn starch) which contain varying amounts of residual cyanide (ranging from 111.6 – 18.6 mg HCN/kg). The diets were balanced in minerals, vitamins and casein. The only source of variability among the diets was the levels of residual dietary cyanide as affected by the duration of fermentation. Weaning male albino rats (21 day old) were grouped in tens (10 rats per group) and fed the diets. The feeding trials was carried out for twenty eight (28) days and thereafter repeated for another set of rats giving a total of 100 rats. The results show that average weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio (PER) differed significantly (P> 0.05). The highest PER, 0.22 was obtained from rats on the control diet while the least was obtained for gari diet from 24h fermented product, 0.15. The red blood cell count (RBC), packed cell column (PCV) differed significantly, P>0.05. The poor performance of rats on 24h diet might be associated with presence of high level of cyanogenic glucoside intermediates – cynohydrin, which readily interacts with -glucosidase in the gut and triggers wide range biological effects. Hence fermenting for periods beyond 24h makes garri safe for consumption. [Researcher. 2010;2(8):1-10]. (ISSN: 15539865).