Plain fully cooked tapioca in tiny amounts is the lowest-risk format. Uncooked pearls are a choking hazard and can swell after ingestion. Keep dessert cups and sweetened drink toppings out of reach.
Tapioca is a purified starch from cassava root, sold as pearls, instant pearls, flour, and starch for puddings, boba drinks, and gluten-free baking. Mostly carbohydrate with little protein or vitamins.
Sweet dessert recipes often include milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Bubble tea may also include caffeine from tea, flavored syrups, or xylitol-sweetened toppings.
Commercial tapioca processing removes the cyanogenic compounds naturally present in raw cassava. Used as a binder or grain-free starch source in some pet foods.
