Apricot Seeds - Kernels - Stones

Raw apricot kernels contain significant quantities of a substance called, amygdalin. A component of amygdalin is hydrocyanic acid, which is released upon ingestion.

A recent incident in Queensland involved a person who ingested approximately 40 kernels at once. This quantity resulted in hospitalisation and prompted the action to raise public awareness of the risks associated with consuming raw apricot kernels.

When apricot kernels are boiled sufficiently and then dried in the oven, the potential for toxicity is greatly diminished. The longer the kernels are boiled, the greater the reduction of amygdalin.

For many of our customers, apricot kernels are used for different purposes, such as pressing for oil, in the preparation of body scrubs or applications that involve boiling the product. These warnings have no bearing on you or your applications. ChiTree apricot kernels remain the best quality available in Australia.

It is the advice of Food Standards Australia/NZ and the Department of Health that raw apricot kernels are not suitable for human consumption.

Please use responsibly. If your intent is to use the product internally, despite the warnings you've read, never do so without the guidance and advice of an experienced health care practitioner.

Labeling, Public Awareness and Safety

To our customers and all those who wrote and called with words of support - thank you. They were very much appreciated.

As many of you are aware, apricot kernels have had some attention recently. A product recall was initiated by FSANZ and the Department of Health in the interests of public awareness and safety.

Raw apricot kernels contain a substance called, amygdalin. One of amygdalin's constituents is hydrocyanic acid, which can result in toxicity. Our bodies have the capacity to process small quantities of amygdalin safely and without incident. However, it is possible to overwhelm the body with too much at once, resulting in adverse reactions. This was the concern that prompted the product recall.

We have agreed to relabel our product to reflect these concerns and warn against the potential for adverse reactions when raw apricot kernels are consumed.

It is the advice of Food Standards Australia/NZ and the Department of Health that raw apricot kernels not be consumed.

Our product will now be labeled as, 'Raw Apricot Kernels, for the preparation of body scrubs and oils'. The label will also include a warning to ensure that users are aware of the risks associated with the product.

Welcome to ChiTree; the original online source of Australian-grown apricot kernels in the country.

Apricot seed is all we do, so our total focus is on quality of product and service. We dedicate ourselves to ensuring that our kernels are the finest quality possible - we work very hard to achieve this. Our seed is meticulously hand-sorted to the peak of standards. Some people accuse us of being obsessive-compulsive about our finished product. They may be right, but we simply work to a standard we want for ourselves. To be expected, most sellers are going to make claims of superiority. Some will even go so far as to tell tales about the origins of their apricot seeds. Making false or misleading claims about a product's country of origin is an offense. Fortunately, the differences are quite obvious. Quality does speak for itself.

The ChiTree Guarantee

A further note on safety - FSANZ and the Department of Health tested samples from the three prominent sources and found ChiTree apricot kernels to have the highest concentration of amygdalin. In one instance, the amygdalin content was more than double. Though you are strongly advised not to consume raw apricot kernels, those of you who choose to ignore this advice should be aware that not all kernels are alike. Fresh, Australian kernels will yield considerably more hydrocyanic acid than those that are imported.

Please be mindful and cautious.

Dear Customers,

We have a family urgency that requires our full attention. Sales will be on pause during this time, but we will aim to be back up and running as soon as possible. We won't have access to our email over this period, so any inquiries will go unresponded to until our return. We apologise for this and appreciate your patience and understanding.

Thank you.

Apricot kernals, also commonly referred to as pips, seeds, stones, seed, kernal, bitter almonds.