Concentration of hydrocyanic acid in fresh and conserved maniçoba

The objective of this study was to quantify the concentration of hydrocyanic acid (HCN) in the morphological components of fresh maniçoba at different ages of growth and conserved as hay and silage. At the 30th day, the highest HCN values were found in all morphological components and at all ages the HCN concentrations were higher in the leaf. Silage and hay processes promoted a decrease of 67.03 and 91.15%, respectively, in the HCN values in relation to the fresh plant. Maniçoba leaf have a higher HCN content, especially when younger. Forage conservation methods reduce the concentration of HCN in maniçoba.