New data from a BfR human study - no cyanide risk resulting from the consumption of marzipan and persipan

A human study conducted by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) enables more differentiated risk assessment of cyanide exposure following the consumption of bitter apricot kernels, persipan, linseed or manioc (cassava). The study results have now been published in the scientific journal “Archives of Toxicology” (DOI 10.1007/s00204-015-1479-8, open access). Bitter apricot kernels, linseeds and manioc contain, as natural plant substances, cyanogenic glycosides in relatively high concentrations. Through the enzyme ß-glucosidase which is also contained in the plants, cyanide is released during consumption. Cyanides are salts of hydrocyanic acid. Ingestion of a sufficiently high dose can lead to acute poisoning by blocking energy generation. The BfR study shows that in terms of risk assessment of foods with cyanogenic glycosides it is very important, over and above the dose of bound cyanide, whether and to what extent the plant enzyme ß-glucosidase is active. For only fast enzymatic release leads to high cyanide blood levels in the body which determine toxicity. The known health risks resulting from the consumption of bitter apricot kernels and unprocessed manioc are confirmed by the human study conducted by the BfR. Compared to these foods, the consumption of linseed, with the same dose of bound cyanide, leads to much lower maximum levels (peak levels) in the blood. Even lower levels are measured following consumption of perspipan which is partly made of bitter apricot kernels, since the ß-glucosidase necessary for the release of cyanide is largely destroyed during the production process.DE; en; efsa-focal-point@bfr.bund.d