Is it safe to eat nectarine seeds?

Summer is associated not only with warm days but also with delicious fruits. Most people enjoy eating the rather unusual peaches and nectarines. These fruits are stone fruits. Therefore, many people wonder whether nectarine seeds can be eaten or whether they should be content with just the flesh.

The nectarine is a variety of peach. It is an example of a common bud mutation that arose due to self-pollination. The distinctive feature of the new variety is its smooth skin.

This fruit's appearance can vary depending on the variety. However, hidden within its juicy, soft flesh is a fairly large seed. If you eat this fruit carelessly, you can easily damage your teeth.

But the seeds pose a far greater danger. Inside the hard shell is a seed. It contains amygdalin. When ingested by humans and animals, this substance breaks down. One of the metabolites of this breakdown is hydrocyanic acid (cyanide). This is a powerful poison that is very dangerous to our bodies.

However, the degree of danger depends on the concentration of the dangerous compound. A single seed of this fruit contains a trace amount of amygdalin. Therefore, eating a single seed will definitely not cause illness. However, eating handfuls of them every day greatly increases the risk of death.

Another danger of nectarine seeds is that, due to their large size, they can become lodged anywhere in the digestive tract, causing discomfort or severe pain. They can even trigger appendicitis.

From all of the above, it follows that eating nectarine seeds is definitely life-threatening.