Cyanogenic glycosides are phytotoxins in certain foods such as cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz), making the food harmful for human consumption if inadequately processed. Cassava root tubers are used throughout much of Africa for their carbohydrate content, processed in various forms as a staple food. The quantity of cyanoglycosides in some cassava products can be a serious threat to life. To maximize production and profit, producers of cassava products frequently adopt shorter and quicker processing techniques, leading to potentially higher levels of residual cyanoglycosides in those products. Studies have suggested that human Hb may be oxidized by the consumption of such inadequately processed cassava products. However, no scientific investigation has been carried out to confirm this hypothesis. Consequently, this study was done to determine the effects of the residual poisons in cassava products on Hb oxidation. Hb oxidation was analysed using UV-visible spectrophotometry using 13 groups: a standard control, a positive control and test materials. The study showed that apart from garri roasted for 15-25 min and 6 days fermented fufu and abacha, other categories of processed cassava products led to complete oxidation of oxy-Hb. Therefore, roasting garri for 15-25 min, fermentation for 6 days during fufu processing and sun drying of abacha could help reduce the oxidation of Hb by residual toxins in cassava products.

生氰苷是某些食物（例如木薯）中的植物毒素（Manihot esculentaCrantz），如果处理不当，会使食品对人类食用有害。木薯块茎因其碳水化合物含量在非洲大部分地区广泛使用，以各种形式加工为主食。一些木薯产品中的氰基糖苷含量可能对生命构成严重威胁。为了最大程度地提高产量和利润，木薯产品的生产商经常采用更短，更快的加工技术，从而导致这些产品中残留的氰基糖苷含量更高。研究表明，食用此类加工不充分的木薯产品可能会氧化人血红蛋白。但是，尚未进行科学研究以证实这一假设。因此，进行了这项研究以确定木薯产品中残留的毒物对Hb氧化的影响。使用UV-可见分光光度法对Hb的氧化进行了分析，共使用13组：标准对照，阳性对照和测试材料。研究表明，除了加里尔烤15-25分钟和6天发酵的fufu和abacha，其他类别的加工木薯产品导致oxy-Hb完全氧化。因此，将木薯烘烤15-25分钟，在fufu加工过程中发酵6天，以及将阿巴茶晒干，可以帮助减少木薯产品中残留毒素对Hb的氧化作用。