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View Full Version : I have "Pine Mouth."



chaos here
01-23-2011, 07:05 AM
.....just wanted to post this here in case anyone else here eats pine nuts and then things start tasting bad. I was making the eggplant for Alissa's eggplant parmesan, which has a breading made from pine nuts. In addition to eating the eggplant after it was done, I ate a few nuts while making the eggplant and know that they were fresh (I've had rancid nuts before), but sure enough - after reading the info listed below, my bag did say "Packed in the U.S.A.," but it also said "Product of China." Don't buy pine nuts from China.


If you Google "pine mouth," a lot of info comes up, but this is from Wikipedia:

A small minority of pine nuts can cause taste disturbances, developing 1–3 days after consumption and lasting for days or weeks. A bitter, metallic taste is described. Though very unpleasant, there are no lasting effects. This phenomenon was first described in a scientific paper in 2001.[12] Some publications have made reference to this phenomenon as "pine mouth".[13] This is a relatively newly noticed phenomenon. The Nestle Research Centre has hypothesized that a particular species of Chinese pine nuts is the cause of the problem. The suspect species of pine nuts are smaller, duller, and more rounded than typical pine nuts.[14] This agrees with the findings of fødevarestyrelsen (Danish food ministry), which ties the symptoms to "illegitimate" nuts from Pinus armandii (Chinese white pine) and Pinus massoniana (Chinese red pine), which have a different fatty acid than "genuine" pine nuts, being mixed with "genuine" pine nuts in China to meet export demands.[15] Metallic taste disturbance, known as metallogeusia, is typically reported 1–3 days after ingestion, being worse on day 2 and lasting typically up to 2 weeks. Cases are self-limited and resolve without treatment.[16]

How weird is that?

FreedomSeeker
01-23-2011, 07:20 AM
Really, really weird and unfortunate. I am planning on buying some pine nuts this week--I'm glad you posted; I'll check the package carefully.

mcster
01-23-2011, 09:30 AM
I think one needs to be very careful with any kind of nut. Just because it says raw and organic, doesn't mean its alive and truly raw. It has to do with what the FDA deems to be "raw". During my research I found a number of sources on the net discussing raw organic almonds and other nuts that were pasteurized and completely devoid of enzymes. I even found an article that conducted tests on raw, organic almonds from several brands and among others, the Whole Foods and Kirkland brands rotted when attempts were made to sprout them. Do your homework. The best way to find out if a brand/product has integrity is to sprout them.

imaquillen
01-23-2011, 09:49 AM
Great information, thank you!
Amber

Mindy Sue
01-23-2011, 09:56 AM
Who would have thunk it - thank you for the information!