Apple seeds contain a poisonous chemical, cyanide, which can be dangerous when consumed in large amounts.
When asked about your favorite fruit, what would you say? Sincethis area is so versatile, it is not surprising to find numerous answers, including the sweet apple. Eating it is beneficial and might help reduce your frequent visits to the doctor. However, other than the sweetness of the fruit you enjoy, there are seeds to deal with. The real question is, since they contain cyanide, are they poisonous, and should you eat them? Keep on reading to find out.
What Are Apples?
These are healthy fruits popular to many. They have a diverse genetic resilience and are core in the American culture and history. These fruits are very beneficial to your body, thanks to their antioxidant properties protecting against cell damage.
Therefore, these sweet fruits have certain impressive health importance that you might take advantage of. Nonetheless, another of their main feature is their seeds in the core. They are not as sweet as the fruit itself. Besides, is it okay to consume them? Are they poisonous?
Are Apple Seeds Poisonous?
The apple seeds have the substance of interest; amygdalin which releases cyanide after the apple seeds you eat interact with the enzymes in your digestive system. The chemical, cyanide, is one of the most dangerous poisons known.
Like other fruit seeds containing cyanide such as apricots, almonds, and peaches, the outer layer of apple seeds is resistant to digestive juices. However, chewing the seeds can lead to the release of amygdalin which can produce harmful cyanide in your system. Therefore, how poisonous is the chemical?
When you take it in small amounts, perhaps when you accidentally chew a few apple seeds, there may be no harm since your body contains enzymes that can readily detoxify it. Unfortunately, when you eat lots of apple seeds, they can be poisonous and dangerous to your health.
Therefore, what is the poisonous amount?
Cyanide in Apple Seeds; How Much is Poisonous?
As you now know, you might accidentally take in apple seeds, and the enzymes in your body can help detoxify them, so you don’t experience the effect of the poison. However, at what point do we say the amount you have consumed is lethal?
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, suggests that a poisonous dose of cyanide ranges between 1-2mg/kg for a man weighing 70kg. Therefore, this means that you would need to take around 200 apple seeds to feel the lethal effect. Since each apple core contains nearly 5 seeds, depending on how healthy the plant is, it implies you will need to take 40 apple cores for you to get the passion.
Notably, the level of toxicity depends on an individual’s weight, level of tolerance, and the type of apple consumed. Moreover, younger children are at a higher risk compared to adults.
On the other hand, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, getting exposed to even the smallest amounts of apple seeds is dangerous. It could lead to brain and heart damage. Therefore, this agency advises people to avoid eating apple seeds altogether. Other scientists share the same sentiments and consider eating the seeds a cause for concern.
So, how can you tell if you have been poisoned with cyanide? Among the symptoms you will see are;
- Shortness of breath
- Seizures
- Anxiety
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Headaches
If you swallow the apple seeds wholly, you are unlikely to experience any of these symptoms. This is because the seed coating will still be intact, meaning that it is protected from interaction with digestive enzymes; hence, they can pass through your system without any damage.
Remember, as much as taking small amounts of apple seeds is safe, you might still end up getting sick. On the other hand, the effects of acute cyanide poisoning can be unconsciousness, paralysis, coma, high blood pressure, and in extremely severe cases, it could be fatal.
Therefore, it would be best to remove the apple seeds before you make your pale juice and avoid consuming them when eating the fruit wholly. You wouldn’t want to experience the effects of high amygdalin content, would you? When giving apples to your pets and kids, too, you can first remove the seeds to avoid any damage.
Apple Seed Oil
With so much concern with the consumption of apple seeds, you might wonder about the effect of the oil obtained from the same. Is it also dangerous? First, you extract apple seed oil from juice processing, and it is mainly used on the skin and hair because of its fragrance. Besides, it contains antioxidants and may help with bacterial and yeast infections.
However, what is the amygdalin content in it? The amount I slower compared to that in the real seeds.
Apple Juice
With the knowledge of the poison contained in apple seeds, you might be worried about apple juice and smoothies, which are usually made by crashing the whole apples with the core and seeds. It is important to note that the poisonous chemical, cyanide, can be released in the process f making the juice since the fruit is crushed wholly.
Therefore, is the content in apple juice poisonous? One finding from research found out that the cyanide in commercial apple juice is very low. Pressed juice contained between 0.01-0.04 mg/liter, while long-life juice contained 0.001-0.007mg/liter.
Therefore, these amounts are quite insignificant and may not cause any harm. However, to be safe, remove the seeds before making your juice.
Conclusion
Apple seeds have amygdalin, a plant compound that releases a poisonous chemical, cyanide; once you chew the seed, it is digested in your system. The good thing is, if you take small amounts of the seeds, perhaps by accident, it cannot be too lethal. The cyanide content may not be enough to cause serious damage. On the other hand, when you take too much of the same, you will suffer from acute cyanide poisoning, which is dangerous. Importantly, please avoid taking the seeds altogether.
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