AdministratorWhy do apple seeds contain amygdalin?
Apple seeds, however, contain a plant compound called amygdalin, which can have a toxic effect. Amygdalin is a part of the seeds’ chemical defenses. It is harmless when a seed is intact, but when a seed is chewed or otherwise damaged, the amygdalin degrades into hydrogen cyanide.
How many apple seeds does it take to become lethal?
It’s true that apple seeds contain cyanide in the form of the compound amygdalin. But one would have to consume between 150 and several thousand apple seeds — and they would need to be crushed — to cause cyanide poisoning, and possibly death.
What seed has the most amygdalin?
Plum seeds
Amygdalin is most abundant in Plum seeds, especially the Green and Black Plums; amygdalin content of Plum seems highly dependent on variety (Table 1). The values reported in this study was similar to the amygdalin content of Plum kernels (12.7 mg/g) reported by Haque & Bradbury (2002).
How can I make cyanide from apple seeds?
- Apple seeds do not contain cyanide.
- To extract cyanide from apple seeds, therefore, one possible way would be to mimic the natural amygdalin-breakdown process and simply crush the seeds, mix them with the appropriate enzymes, and collect the product.
Are apple seeds safe to eat?
The Science Behind Apples Seeds And Cyanide Poisoning : Short Wave : NPR. The Science Behind Apples Seeds And Cyanide Poisoning : Short Wave Many folks eat an apple and then throw out the core. It turns out, the core is perfectly ok to eat – despite apple seeds’ association with the poison cyanide.
How can I get cyanide naturally?
Cyanide is released from natural substances in some foods and in certain plants such as cassava, lima beans and almonds. Pits and seeds of common fruits, such as apricots, apples, and peaches, may have substantial amounts of chemicals which are metabolized to cyanide.
Do apple seeds contain amygdalin?
Although apple contains compounds which may confer significant health benefits to humans, apple seeds contain amygdalin ( Fig. 1 ), a potentially toxigenic compound. Fig. 1. Structure of amygdalin.
Where does amygdalin come from?
Amygdalin exists in relatively high amounts in the seeds of fruits in the Rosaceae family, which includes apples, almonds, apricots, peaches, and cherries. People have used cyanide as a poison throughout history.
Does processing alter the enzymatic degradation of amygdalin in apple juice?
Effect of processing on amygdalin content of apple juice made from whole apple We sought to determine effects of processing on the enzymatic degradation of amygdalin in apple juice in order to examine the possibility that certain processing conditions might mitigate against enzymatic breakdown of amygdalin.
Which long-life apple juice has the highest amygdalin content?
Among the seventeen commercially-available long-life apple juices analysed, Sun-sip Apple High Juice had the highest amygdalin content (0.007 mg ml −1 ), followed by Tesco Apple High Juice (0.005 mg ml −1 ), Appetizer (0.004 mg ml −1 ), Tesco Apple Squash (0.003 mg ml −1) and Juice Tree Apple Juice (0.003 mg ml −1 ).