Poison and food safety
While some seeds are considered by some as healthy to eat, other seeds may be harmful or poisonous, Plants and seeds often contain chemical compounds to discourage herbivores and seed predators. In some cases, these compounds simply taste bad (such as in mustard), but other compounds are toxic, or breakdown into toxic compounds within the digestive system. Children, being smaller than adults, are more susceptible to poisoning or death by plants and seeds. One should be satisfied with reliable food safety information before choosing to eat any particular seeds.
An infamously deadly poison, ricin, comes from seeds of the castor bean. Reported lethal doses are anywhere from two to eight seeds, though only a few deaths have been reported when castor beans have been ingested by animals.
While some seeds are considered by some as healthy to eat, other seeds may be harmful or poisonous, Plants and seeds often contain chemical compounds to discourage herbivores and seed predators. In some cases, these compounds simply taste bad (such as in mustard), but other compounds are toxic, or breakdown into toxic compounds within the digestive system. Children, being smaller than adults, are more susceptible to poisoning or death by plants and seeds. One should be satisfied with reliable food safety information before choosing to eat any particular seeds.
An infamously deadly poison, ricin, comes from seeds of the castor bean. Reported lethal doses are anywhere from two to eight seeds, though only a few deaths have been reported when castor beans have been ingested by animals.
In addition, seeds containing amygdalin; apple, apricot, bitter almond,peach, plum, cherry, quince, and others, when consumed in significant amounts, may result in cyanide toxicity. Other seeds that contain poisons include annona, cotton, custard apple, datura, uncooked durian, golden chain, horse-chestnut, larkspur, locoweed, lychee, nectarine, rambutan, rosary pea, sour sop, sugar apple, wisteria, and yew. Another seed poison is strychnine.
The seeds of many legumes, including the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) contain proteins called lectins which can cause gastric distress if the beans are eaten without cooking. The common bean and many others, including the soybean, also contain trypsin inhibitors which interfere with the action of the digestive enzyme trypsin. Normal cooking processes degrade lectins and trypsin inhibitors to harmless forms.
The seeds of many legumes, including the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) contain proteins called lectins which can cause gastric distress if the beans are eaten without cooking. The common bean and many others, including the soybean, also contain trypsin inhibitors which interfere with the action of the digestive enzyme trypsin. Normal cooking processes degrade lectins and trypsin inhibitors to harmless forms.
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