# fermentation of poison pear pips

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fermentation-of-poison-pear-pips/596030>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 12, 2011, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fermentation-of-poison-pear-pips/596030 "2011-09-12T08:19:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Taylortoni3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@Taylortoni3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taylortoni3)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fermentation-of-poison-pear-pips/596030/1 "2011-09-12T08:19:49Z")

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I have a large batch of wine made from juiced whole pears. I was ignorant to the poison in the pips until it was happily bubbling away and someone told me about it.:smack:

I read on this site that the enzymes in the pips which activate the poisoning are destroyed by roasting.

Do you know if they are similarly affected in the fermentation process? In other words do I have to ditch the wine or will the fermentation process make the pips safe?😕

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fermentation-of-poison-pear-pips/596030/2 "2011-09-12T09:00:49Z")

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There’s nothing to worry about - Apple and pear pips can produce cyanide under certain circumstances, but when apples and pears are pressed or juiced commercially, the pips are not removed beforehand. We’d all be dead if this was a problem.

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**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fermentation-of-poison-pear-pips/596030/3 "2011-09-12T12:07:01Z")

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The amount of cyanide (or cyanide-producing compounds) in a single pear seed is minute, and the body can metabolize this small amount. What I’d heard (no cite, sorry) is that if you had a whole cup full of apple or pear seeds, and you ate them all at once, chewing them up carefully, you might do yourself some harm. But a single uncrushed seed is not at all likely to give you any trouble.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fermentation-of-poison-pear-pips/596030/4 "2011-09-12T12:53:12Z")

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I don’t think it’s in a soluble form in the pips, so juicing them should not extract it. Problem if you eat the pips (lots of them), but not if you squeeze the juice.