Peak concentrations of cyanide in blood and tissue depend on the amount of CNGs in the food consumed and the rate of release of cyanide which in turn depends on the presence and activity of the degrading enzymes. Cyanide is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and rapidly distributed to all organs. When the plant cells are damaged, by for example grinding or chewing, CNGs and their degrading enzymes are brought into contact and cyanide is released. EFSA guidance documents and general principles for risk assessment have been applied for hazard and exposure assessment in this opinion.ĬNGs contain chemically bound cyanide and are present in foods such as almonds, linseed or cassava. Previous assessments from the EFSA, in particular the opinion on acute health risks related to the presence of CNGs in raw apricot kernels and products derived from raw apricot kernels (2016), and assessments from other international and national scientific bodies have been used as a starting point for the evaluation together with publications identified in a targeted literature search. The limited data from animal and human studies do not allow the derivation of a chronic health‐based guidance value ( HBGV) for cyanide, and thus, chronic risks could not be assessed.įollowing a request from the European Commission, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM Panel) evaluated the risks to human health related to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides (CNGs) in foods other than raw apricot kernels. Taking into account the conservatism in the exposure assessment and in derivation of the ARfD, it is unlikely that this estimated exceedance would result in adverse effects. The main contributors to exposures were biscuits, juice or nectar and pastries and cakes that could potentially contain CNGs. At the 95th percentile, the ARfD was exceeded up to about 2.5‐fold in some surveys for children and adolescent age groups.
Estimated mean acute dietary exposures to cyanide from foods containing CNGs did not exceed the ARfD in any age group. To account for differences in cyanide bioavailability after ingestion of certain food items, specific factors were used. In the present opinion, the CONTAM Panel concluded that this ARfD is applicable for acute effects of CN regardless the dietary source. In 2016, the EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain ( CONTAM) published a scientific opinion on the acute health risks related to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides ( CNGs) in raw apricot kernels in which an acute reference dose ( ARfD) of 20 μg/kg body weight (bw) was established for cyanide ( CN).
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