Removing Toxicity from Bamboo Shoots
The usual practice to remove toxicity from bamboo shoots in the Philippines, is to remove the skin of the bamboo shoots and grate it in a course grater making strings about the size of spaghetti and boil it for about ten minutes. Then rinse the shoots in cold water and then it is ready for any dish. Is this enough to remove any toxicity in Dendrocalamus asper shoots?
⭐ Best Answer:
Bamboo shoots of Dendrocalamus asper do contain cyanogenic glycosides (mainly taxiphyllin), which can release hydrogen cyanide if eaten raw. The good news is that taxiphyllin is heat-sensitive — boiling easily destroys it.
The common Filipino method (peel → grate → boil ~10 minutes → rinse) is effective and widely practiced. Discarding the boiling water is essential, since that’s where most of the toxins go. If the shoots are still bitter after boiling, cook them a second time. When prepared this way, D. asper shoots are considered safe to eat.
A study found that boiling D. asper shoots in 5% salt water for 10 minutes reduced cyanogen levels from 0.016 g/100 g to just 0.002 g/100 g, a substantial (88%) reduction, while preserving nutrients.
