02304naa a2200289 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902000180006010000160007824501850009426000090027952014570028865000120174565000170175765000260177465000130180065300230181365300200183670000160185670000140187270000160188670000190190270000120192170000190193370000180195277300440197016338352024-05-29       1994    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d  a90 6605 326 71 aKOCH, B. M.  aPossible use of a biotechnological approach to optimize and regulate the content and distribution of cyanogenic glucosides in cassva to increase food safety.h[electronic resource]  c1994  aThis paper summarizes some of our work on elucidating the biosynthetic pathway for cyanogenic glucosides and on the identification of the structural genes involved. Cyanogenic glucosides are present in more than 2500 different plants some of which like cassava are important crop plants. Upon damage of plant tissues containing cyanogenic glucosides, these will be partly or fully hydrolyzed into cyanohydrins and cyanide. Plant materials containing high amounts of cyanogenic glucosides like cassava thus need careful processing before being used as food. When careful processing is not carried out, cassava consumers may be exposed to high levels of cyanide. One goal of our research program is to be able to understand why some plants produce cyanogenic glucosedes and to find out whether it will be possible to down-regulate the production of these compounds in crop plants to increase food safety. If complete elimination of the cyanogenic glucosides results in plants sensitive to pests or with other undesired characteristics, then the cyanogenic glucosides should be eliminated or specifically reduced only in those parts of the plants used for human consumption. The techniques of molecular biology will enable us to obtain such plants but probably not within the next decade. The possible role of cyanogenic glucosides in plants is very difficult to assess at present since many argued functions are not properly documented in the literature.  aCassava  aCyanogenesis  aComposto Cianogênico  aMandioca  aCassava processing  aCytochrome P4501 aSIBBSEN, O.1 aSWAIN, E.1 aKAHN, R. A.1 aLIABGCHENG, D.1 aBAK, S.1 aHAIKIER, B. A.1 aMOLLER, B. L.  tActa Horticulturagn.375, p.45-60 1994.