Health

Tropical Wholefoods Apricot Kernels - are they safe to eat?

The short answer is yes they are because Tropical Wholefoods kernels are not bitter apricot kernels but the "sweet" kernels. So long as you don't eat more than 7 packets a day (350g), you are fine. But for more details read on...

In 2006, The Food Standards Agency released a press statement entitled Possible Risks of Eating Bitter Apricot Kernels. This in turn was based on the report of the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food (COT).

Amygdalin in apricot kernels is also known as vitamin B17 or Laetrile. Amygdalin breaks down to hydrogen cyanide, glucose and benzaldehyde.

Follow these links for full text of these documents:
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/2006/apr/apricot
http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/TOX-2006-13.pdf
click on the image to the right for an article on apricot kernels in the Organic and Natural Business Magazine, June/July 2006.

Both the statement and report referred to bitter apricot kernels which Julian Graves were stocking and have since withdrawn. These kernels contained cyanide at 1450mg/kg.

One outcome of the COT report was that the labelling of bitter apricot kernels at this level of cyanide should recommend consumption of no more than two such kernels a day. They are also going to consider if a daily
intake of 5mg/day would be of concern, i.e. the dose of ten bitter kernels day recommended on the Julian Graves pack before they were withdrawn.

Rest assured, Tropical Wholefoods Fairtrade kernels are not bitter apricot kernels, but "sweet" apricot kernels, and are available natural, chilli roasted or tamari roasted.

Small amounts of cyanide in the form of the cyanogenic glycoside amygdalin are also present in "sweet" apricot kernels as well as "sweet" almonds and seeds of other members of the genus prunus eg cherry. Bitter almonds and bitter apricot kernels contain very much higher levels. The flavour of sweet almonds and apricots kernels results from amygdalin hence the scientific name for almond is Prunus amygdalus.

We test every consignment of our apricot kernels for presence of cyanide and find the presence to be consistently <4mg/kg (which is the limit of accuracy of the test). Hence you would have to eat at the very least 725 of our apricot kernels in a day to approach a dose which the committee currently consider the to be the (TDI) tolerable daily intake.

Purchasing apricot kernels in addition to dried apricots from our partners in Pakistan adds to the viability of the program which provides significant income for 600 family groups. The kernels which we market have a similar taste and nutritional profile to "sweet" almonds to which they are closely related.