FSANZ investigates pine nut aftertaste

Food Standards Australia New Zealand has investigated consumer reports of a bitter, metallic taste resulting from eating pine nuts.

This aftertaste is sometimes referred to by consumers as ‘pine mouth’ and can last for a number of days or weeks and can result from eating raw, cooked and processed pine nuts.

However, apart from the unpleasant bitter aftertaste, there are no safety issues that can be identified at this time. For sufferers, the condition is apparently self-limiting and is relatively benign without any ongoing adverse effects.

There has also been no evidence to date that the taste disturbances associated with pine nuts are the result of external contamination.

There is ongoing research on the subject and there is recent speculation that symptoms may be related to lipid decomposition, or species differences with the fatty acid profiles of the pine nuts.

FSANZ will continue to watch this issue.