How much cyanide is in common fruit pits like apricot, peach, apple, and cherry?
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Executive summary
Common fruit seeds and pits contain cyanogenic glycosides (mainly amygdalin) that can release hydrogen cyanide if crushed and eaten; concentrations vary widely — apricot and bitter almond kernels are repeatedly flagged as highest-risk, while apple seeds have much lower levels and are unlikely to poison an adult unless consumed in very large amounts [1] [2] [3]. Poison-control organizations and regulators warn that small, intact pits usually pass harmlessly, but crushed/chewed kernels can release dangerous cyanide and have caused hospitalizations and regulatory alerts [4] [5] [2].
1. What’s actually inside the pit: amygdalin, not “free cyanide”
Stone-fruit pits and many seeds contain amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside that itself is not free cyanide but is converted in the gut (or if the kernel is crushed) into hydrogen cyanide — the toxic agent — by enzymes such as beta‑glucosidase [6] [7]. That biochemical detail matters: swallowing an intact pit generally keeps the amygdalin locked inside; crushing, chewing or processing kernels releases the enzyme-substrate reaction that generates cyanide [6] [4].
2. Relative amounts: apricot, peach, cherry kernels high; apple seeds low
Multiple sources report that apricot and other Prunus-family kernels (peach, plum, cherry) can contain substantially higher amygdalin concentrations than ordinary apple seeds. Some studies and health reviews put peach-kernel amygdalin concentrations in the gram-per-kilogram range and estimate that only a moderate number of crushed kernels could approach toxic doses for an adult [1] [8]. By contrast, apple seeds hold much smaller amounts per seed; one popular calculation cited from media/science summaries estimates you’d need dozens of whole apple cores (many tens to hundreds of seeds) crushed at once to reach a lethal dose for a 68 kg adult [3] [7].
3. What counts as a toxic dose: ranges and uncertainty
Health summaries and reporting give a human cyanide toxicity range of roughly 0.5–3.5 mg per kg body weight (multiple popular sources cited this span), which translates to about 30–240 mg HCN for a 68 kg adult; whether a given kernel produces enough HCN depends on its amygdalin content and whether it’s chewed/crushed [8] [3]. Estimates of amygdalin per kernel vary in the literature and in consumer reporting, producing wide uncertainty: some articles suggest a few to a few dozen kernels could be dangerous, especially for small children [1] [5] [9].
4. Real-world incidents, regulatory response, and practical warnings
Poison-control centers report frequent calls for swallowed pits but stress that intact pits typically pass without poisoning; cases of cyanide illness follow ingestion of crushed kernels or concentrated products (apricot-kernel supplements, laetrile) and have prompted FDA warnings and CSPI commentary about apricot seeds sold as supplements [4] [2] [10]. The European Food Safety Authority has warned adults can exceed “safe” levels by eating only a few raw apricot kernels and that toddlers are at even greater risk, per reporting in health articles and poison-control guidance [10] [9].
5. How to interpret media numbers and sensational headlines
Published numerical claims vary widely: some lifestyle pieces use dramatic per‑gram lethal cyanide figures for cherry seeds or give numbers implying just one crushed cherry pit could kill, while many clinical/poison-control sources emphasize variability and that one intact pit won’t [3] [4]. This divergence reflects differing assumptions about kernel size, amygdalin concentration, and whether the kernel is chewed; readers should treat single-point “one pit will kill you” headlines skeptically and rely on clinical guidance about crushed-kernel risk [3] [4].
6. Practical advice and unanswered specifics
Practical rules from poison-control and health agencies are consistent: don’t crush or chew pits; remove and discard pits before giving stone fruits to children; avoid apricot-kernel products and similar supplements because they can contain “high levels” of amygdalin [5] [2] [4]. Available sources do not mention precise, universally accepted per-pit HCN numbers for each fruit variety that would let you compute exact toxicity for any individual pit; reported values vary by study and reporting outlet (not found in current reporting).
Limitations and competing views: reporting and NGO/regulatory sources agree on the biochemical risk (amygdalin → cyanide) and on apricot-kernel concerns, but popular articles differ on exact lethal‑dose math; clinical poison-control voices prioritize observed case data and conservative warnings while some media pieces emphasize dramatic single‑pit scenarios [2] [3] [4]. If you need exact milligram figures for a specific variety or batch (for example, lab analysis of kernels you possess), the cited sources show that lab measurement is necessary — public reporting gives ranges and guidance, not a one‑size‑fits‑all number [1] [8].