Apricot kernel

The kernel (middle) and seed shells of an apricot (centimeter scale)

An apricot kernel is the seed of an apricot.

It is known for containing amygdalin, a compound which, together with the similar compound laetrile, has been marketed as a cancer treatment with some clinical evidence for its efficacy. ^[1]

Seeds or kernels of the apricot grown in central Asia and around the Mediterranean are so sweet that they may be substituted for almonds. The Italian liqueur amaretto and amaretti biscotti are flavored with extract of apricot kernels as well as almonds. Oil pressed from these cultivars has been used as cooking oil.

Apricot kernels can sometimes be strong-tasting and bitter. They feature in recipes for apricot jam, and Italian amaretto cookies and liqueur. Taken in excess, they may produce symptoms of cyanide poisoning, including nausea, fever, rash, headaches, insomnia, increased thirst, weakness, lethargy, nervousness, various aches and pains in joints and muscles, and a drop in blood pressure.

In 1993, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets tested the cyanide content of two 220 gram (8 oz) packages of bitter apricot kernels imported from Pakistan that were being sold in health-food stores as a snack. The results showed that each package, if consumed entirely, contained at least double the minimum lethal dosage of cyanide for an adult human. The apricot pits were recalled and removed from stores.^[2] There was one reported case in the medical literature of cyanide toxicity from apricot kernels from 1979 to 1998 in the United States.^[3] On average, bitter apricot kernels contain about 5% amygdalin and sweet kernels about 0.9% amygdalin.^[4] These values correspond to 0.3% and 0.05% of cyanide. Since a typical apricot kernel weighs 600 mg, bitter and sweet varieties contain respectively 1.8 and 0.3 mg of cyanide.

Apricot stones (kernels are inside)

References