Food Safety Focus (152nd Issue, March 2019) – Food Incident Highlight

Deranged Liver Function after Consumption of Sky Fruit Seeds

About 30 suspected cases of liver damage following the consumption of mahogany (commonly known as sky fruit) seeds or related products in the past few years have been identified in Hong Kong.  Similar report was announced in Singapore a few months ago.

Seeds of sky fruit are traditionally used in Southeast Asian countries for treating various illnesses such as control of blood sugar and high blood pressure.

Although there is currently no scientific data on the direct risk of liver injury related to the intake of sky fruit seeds or related products, members of the public are urged to be aware of the potential risk of adverse effects on the liver from the consumption.  Those who feel unwell or have symptoms of deranged liver function such as nausea, loss of appetite, lethargy, tea colour urine, or yellow colour in the whites of the eyes or the skin after consumption of sky fruit seeds should consult their doctors immediately.