Reality Check / Myth Busting on cyanide contents of homemade almond extract.

[lonlonmilklover]

I just recently started searching around for a homemade almond extract for brewing, as I enjoy using all homemade ingredients, short of making my own vodka for the extracts ...

I have found several recipes online that indicated as few as 12 chopped almonds were needed for 1 cup of vodka, in order to make an extract - for cooking, not brewing.

However, I was curious about upping the almond count, roasted, for a stronger flavor, but I then started coming across what I'd gather to be urban legends about not using too many almonds in recipes - especially homemade extracts - for fear of mild cyanide poisoning.

As I clearly remember an episode of Mythbusters in which they tested the amount of cyanide found in apple seeds compared to the amount that would be fatal, and they determined, iirc, one would have to thoroughly chew several tens of thousands of raw apple seeds to even get a mild stomach ache.

Has anybody a substantial worry about making an almond extract at home, with about 30 roasted almonds to a cup of vodka?

 

[mister]

I think your 30 almond recipe for extract will be fine. I think it would be impossible to get cyanide poisoning from almond extract. I recently made almond extract. Here is my experience so far.

I combined 1 cup 40% svedka with 12 chopped blanched almonds and one half of an almond skin into a glass jar, sealed it, wrapped it with aluminum foil to keep light out, and shook it once a day or so for about 5 months. Then I bottled it.

I plan to use this in a 5 gallon batch of almond raspberry amber ale that is currently in the primary. I am not 100% sure how much extract to use, but I was thinking about adding 1/2 ounce when I rack to secondary along with the raspberries. Any thoughts?

I just recently started searching around for a homemade almond extract for brewing, as I enjoy using all homemade ingredients, short of making my own vodka for the extracts ...

I have found several recipes online that indicated as few as 12 chopped almonds were needed for 1 cup of vodka, in order to make an extract - for cooking, not brewing.

However, I was curious about upping the almond count, roasted, for a stronger flavor, but I then started coming across what I'd gather to be urban legends about not using too many almonds in recipes - especially homemade extracts - for fear of mild cyanide poisoning.

As I clearly remember an episode of Mythbusters in which they tested the amount of cyanide found in apple seeds compared to the amount that would be fatal, and they determined, iirc, one would have to thoroughly chew several tens of thousands of raw apple seeds to even get a mild stomach ache.

Has anybody a substantial worry about making an almond extract at home, with about 30 roasted almonds to a cup of vodka?

 

[wingedcoyote]

You won't get cyanide poisoning from almonds, if you mean the kind of almonds that we eat. You also won't get something that tastes like commercial almond extract or amaretto, though -- those are made from bitter almonds, a different nut entirely. And one with quite a bit more cyanide, if I remember correctly. You can get an extremely similar flavor from peach or apricot pits... but they have the cyanide thing too. Best to stick with normal eating almonds, which will be different but probably v tasty, or exercise extreme caution with the bitter ones or pits.