I am new to fruit wine. Had a bunch of plums so thought I would try it. Pitted the plums but then boiled the pitts some to loosen the pulp,then spun off most of it in a salad spinner and added that back to the primary fermenter. Found out the pits have cyanide in them. In doing this boiling did I add cyanide to the mix? Should I throw it out?Does anyone know where on the web I can find out about this or where I could get a test to find out if cyanide existed in the derived Juice.
boiling plum pits to loosen pulp
- Thread starter wine4fdp
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I think you have to break the pits to have the cyanide leach out. Lots of stone fruit's pits have cyanide components in them.
Found this on Canadian Food Inspection Agency website:
The kernels within the pits of some stone fruits contain a natural
toxin called cyanogenic glycoside. These fruits include apricots,
cherries,
peaches, pears, plums and prunes. The flesh of the fruit itself is not
toxic. Normally, the presence of cyanogenic glycoside alone is not
dangerous.
However, when kernels are chewed cyanogenic glycoside can transform
into hydrogen cyanide - which is poisonous to humans. The lethal dose
of cyanide
ranges from 0.5 to 3.0 <abbr title="milligram">mg</abbr> per kilogram of body weight. This is why it is not recommended to eat the kernels inside the
pits of stone fruits.</font>
Looks like the pits have to be broken or chewed to release the poisonous aspects. You should be fine as long as the pits are whole - but it's your call!
Found this on Canadian Food Inspection Agency website:
The kernels within the pits of some stone fruits contain a natural
toxin called cyanogenic glycoside. These fruits include apricots,
cherries,
peaches, pears, plums and prunes. The flesh of the fruit itself is not
toxic. Normally, the presence of cyanogenic glycoside alone is not
dangerous.
However, when kernels are chewed cyanogenic glycoside can transform
into hydrogen cyanide - which is poisonous to humans. The lethal dose
of cyanide
ranges from 0.5 to 3.0 <abbr title="milligram">mg</abbr> per kilogram of body weight. This is why it is not recommended to eat the kernels inside the
pits of stone fruits.</font>
Looks like the pits have to be broken or chewed to release the poisonous aspects. You should be fine as long as the pits are whole - but it's your call!
There seem to be lots of recipes for plum jam and plum sauce where they are boiled together and I just boiled them enough to loosen up the pulp. I guess if I am never on the forum again that might be an indication I made the wrong call.
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