John Myers
When eating walnuts, you don’t have to worry about ingesting critical levels of hydrocyanic acid. We have summarized for you why this assumption is wrong and which foods contain hydrocyanic acid.
Hydrocyanic acid in walnuts – you don’t have to worry about that
For a long time, the misconception has been circulating that if you consume a large amount of walnuts, you will also ingest alarming amounts of hydrocyanic acid. But that’s not true. Many people lump walnuts and bitter almonds together.
- Bitter almonds should not be eaten raw as they contain hydrocyanic acid. Already 5 to 10 bitter almonds can lead to severe hydrocyanic acid poisoning. This can sometimes be fatal.
- You don’t have to worry about confusing bitter almonds with other nuts. These are clearly recognizable by their strong bitter taste.
- However, you do not have to worry about eating walnuts because the kernels do not contain any hydrocyanic acid . You can also consume these in large quantities without having to worry about negative health effects due to hydrocyanic acid.
- Tiny amounts of hydrocyanic acid can only be found in the skin and shell of the walnut. However, these are so small that they are harmless to the human organism.
- Caution: Walnuts are very susceptible to mold growth. This easily occurs with incorrect storage. Therefore, make sure to store the walnuts in a cool, dark and dry place.
