Just recently, there was a report about one restaurant in Japan that serves food with a very unique and unlikely ingredient, something that you would never expect to be mixed with soups, ice cream, and even salads. Though there are meals and exotic delicacies that may taste great and palatable, you may not know that there are elements in them that’s more than meets the eye. Just what are the top 10 weird food ingredients that would make you think twice of what you eat or drink? Read on and open your mind to a different dimension of food.

10. Volcanic Ash

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There is one restaurant in Japan that uses volcanic ash with plants from the Kanto region, which is called “Kuro Tsuchi”. According to Saeko Torii, one of the representatives of dirt manufacturer Protoleaf, the bacteria found in the dirt is actually healthy as it is natural and pure. Some may have a misconception that it’s the same kind of dirt that comes from boots or wheels, but the way the dirt was produced, mixed, and modified makes it a different thing. But dirt in ice cream or salad dressing?

9. Cellulose

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They say that beavers and termites are the only ones that love to chew on wood. But can you even imagine going to a restaurant or a fastfood chain and find yourself eating a plank on two sesame buns, dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese? Cellulose has nothing to do with sugar, if you think that it is associated with glucose in any way. However, this processed wood pulp is so healthy that it removes fatty content in meat, boosts fiber, and it stabilizes food thickness. This ingredient is so famous that most of the world-famous food chains are using it.

8. Tertiary Butylhydroquinone

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The wonders of chemistry make it possible to include chemicals in various things that need specific alterations to performance, delivery, and results. In fact, the scope of involvement is no longer limited to construction supplies or materials. It now even includes food as a beneficiary. And to make it worse, tertiary butylhydroquinone or known as TBHQ, which is a petroleum-based derivative, can now be also found in various meal selections from salads, to cakes, and even fried meat treats in fastfood like chicken nuggets. So if you think that petroleum is only for cars to consume, think again.

7. Xanthan Gum

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Perhaps one of the most common ingredients encountered by salad lovers, cheese critics, and food enthusiasts is called Xanthan Gum. Based on the simple sense of the name, this component is what gives that thick and sticky property that makes liquids become dense and filling, while giving that gooey appearance. Xanthan is actually based from the scientific name Xanthomonas campestris, which is a form of bacteria that is found on rotting vegetables, specifically those parts that are moldy and icky looking.

6. L-Cysteine

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L-cysteine may not be so common to you as it is not usually found in manufactured foods that are sold in packs or bundles. But since fastfood stores are not obligated to indicate ingredients of the food you eat, you will not even know that the baked pies, breads, and other pastries you are enjoying have this ingredient in them. L-cysteine is used to make breads more pliable when being mixed and molded in machines and is chemically found on duck feathers and human hair. Yes, women from rural places sell their hair in order to be used as an ingredient for yummier mass-produced bread.

5. Lanolin

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There are certain chewing gum and other chewy foods that have lanolin as a component. But would you still be able to endure the chew when you knew that lanolin is even grosser than what it seems to be. The chemical actually comes from sheep’s wool, which makes sense why its lotion and cream versions have sheep drawn on the packaging. But can you even care to take another bite knowing that the more you chew, the more excretions of sheep sweat goes through your throat?

4. Gelatin

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Whether consumed being mixed with other deserts or just straight as Jell-O and other food stuff, gelatin is that one ingredient that binds things together. But will you still insist on eating gelatin products if you knew that it has been extracted from animal bones, skin, and hide? It just does not make much sense that your sweet, soft, wobbly snack is associated with cows, pigs, and even horses. Gummy bears are also no different.

3. Carmine

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When you see cold treats in strawberry or grape flavors, one cannot help but get a scoop of ice cream, take a sip off pink-colored smoothies, and even drink a bottle of fizzy soda. However, when you learn that it has cochineal, you may be shocked that the color actually comes from crushed and dried beetles that have been boiled to extract organic red liquids that give color to foods, clothes, and even cosmetics. You have been consuming it already as it is commonly found in strawberry swirls, yogurts, and even candies.

2. Skatole

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Pigs are reliable and tasty sources of meat, but they also have something in them that makes certain foods more delectable and tasty to the palate. Not known to many but Skatole is one of the ingredients used to enhance the taste of strawberries included in ice cream and other cold treats. And Skatole is found in the most unlikely of places, commonly mixed within the poop. Now that’s mind-blowing!

1. Castoreum

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You may wonder what this beaver has to do with the mess that’s found in food. It has nothing to do with what’s inside of it or what can be found in it, but of what’s coming out from it. Yes, as gross and as yucky as you could think of it, castoreum is actually found from a beaver’s poop and urine. While the idea of consuming it does not meet your standards, you could be easily fooled as it has been consistently found in vanilla and selected ice cream flavors.