Macadamia-based products have rapidly increased and their commercial importance in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. The health benefits from Macadamia are associated to its antioxidant properties and bioactive components and have previously reported to provide improved blood lipid profile, decreased inflammation, oxidative stress, reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors, etc. However, Macadamia, naturally contain cyanogenic glycosides that have the ability to release toxic hydrogen cyanide (HCN) through cyanogenesis. Sublethal doses of HCN could lead to headache, hyperventilation, vomiting, weakness, abdominal cramps, and some circulatory and respiratory systems failure. Moreover, cyanide can inhibit cellular respiration, which could result in fatal poisoning. The goal of this study was to rapidly analyze HCN directly from the headspace of Macadamia flowers, leaves, husks and nuts using selected ion flow tube – mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS). Different conditions including heating temperature, heating time, and pH, causing the hydrolysis of cyanogenic compounds in Macadamia that subsequently produce HCN gas were evaluated. Macadamia flowers, leaves, husks, and nut samples were subjected to different heating times (20, 30, 45, 60, 80, 100, or 120 min), temperature (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, or 100°C), and pH (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9). Immediately after treatments, the headspace concentration of HCN was rapidly and directly measured using SIFT-MS. The headspace concentration of HCN above the different Macadamia samples was maximum at 50°C, 60 min, and pH 7. Under these conditions, HCN concentrations were 12,535±11 ppbv (flower), 513±0.6 ppbv (leaves), 6±0.1 ppbv (nuts), 476±0.7 ppbv (husk, variety-A16), 256±0.4 ppbv (husk, variety-OC), and 21±0.1 ppbv (husk, variety-695). Hydrolysis of cyanogenic glycosides was observed to follow a first-order reaction with respect to HCN production. This suggests that the concentration of HCN is directly proportional to the hydrolysis of cyanogenic glycosides. The rapid and real time analysis of HCN is particularly important in the processing of the various parts of Macadamia that are known to contain cyanogenic glycosides that can undergo cyanogenesis and subsequently hydrolyze producing the toxic HCN compound. The conditions for the maximum release of HCN is helpful to the effective processing of different Macadamia plant parts toward the safe production and consumption of Macadamia-based products.

Natural cyanogenic compounds in food: Direct and rapid detection of hydrogen cyanide in Macadamia using selected ion flow tube-mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS)

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

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