Top Ten Weirdest Ingredients
source: http://science.discovery.com/top-ten/2009/ingredients/ingredients.html
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As common as these ingredients are, they're not exactly what you would expect. Some are not even what you would WANT to expect. For all the times your mother asked, "Do you know what's IN that?", you'll be armed and ready with the answers. And the nausea that probably accompanies them.
No.10) Polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS as we will call it from here on out, is indeed a common food ingredient. Aside from its use as a food additive, other interesting places you'll find PDMS include Silly Putty, anti-foaming agents, breast implants ext.
No.9) High-Fructose Corn Syrup, In case you hadn't heard, HFCS is essentially sugar—more specifically a corn syrup that has undergone enzymatic processes to increase the level of fructose. (this didn't surprise me)
No.8)Caffeine, thanks largely to coffee and Red Bull, it's a safe bet that No. 8 in our list can be found in most people's tummies.
No.7) Carrageenan, is a common additive used in ice creams, soy milk, toothpastes—even beer; what you probably don't know is that this common ingredient is made of a substance extracted from seaweed.
No.6) Monosodium glutamate (MSG), Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is actually a really cool ingredient, even if it does cause some pretty nasty side effects for some people.
No.5) Phosphoric Acid, Phosphoric Acid is more commonly known as the substance that gives soda its acidity. To quench your thirst, consider this: phosphoric acid is also used to remove rust, in some cases employing what is called an "acid bath"
No.4) Sorbitol, like many of the other common sugar alcohols, can actually be more like a frenemy when you hang out too often. You see, sorbitol, when consumed in mass quantities, acts as a laxative—proving the adage "too much of a good thing."
No.3) Gelatin, for those who don't know, consists of the collagen extracted from an animal's skin and (mostly) bones.
No.2) Xanthan Gum, which gets its name from Xanthomonas campestris (a strain of bacteria present during the fermentation process), contains bacteria similar to rotting veggies.
No.1) Carmine, consists of a mixture of ... crushed beetles. More specifically, these dried insects are boiled in water to extract the carminic acid they contain (or did contain). Typically, due to the fantastic red hue the resulting potion gives off, this ingredient is used to artificially dye foods red, purple and pink; however, you can taste these little buggers in some fruit juices, berry punches, ice cream, yogurt and candy (so ya know, all the good stuff).
No.10) Polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS as we will call it from here on out, is indeed a common food ingredient. Aside from its use as a food additive, other interesting places you'll find PDMS include Silly Putty, anti-foaming agents, breast implants ext.
No.9) High-Fructose Corn Syrup, In case you hadn't heard, HFCS is essentially sugar—more specifically a corn syrup that has undergone enzymatic processes to increase the level of fructose. (this didn't surprise me)
No.8)Caffeine, thanks largely to coffee and Red Bull, it's a safe bet that No. 8 in our list can be found in most people's tummies.
No.7) Carrageenan, is a common additive used in ice creams, soy milk, toothpastes—even beer; what you probably don't know is that this common ingredient is made of a substance extracted from seaweed.
No.6) Monosodium glutamate (MSG), Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is actually a really cool ingredient, even if it does cause some pretty nasty side effects for some people.
No.5) Phosphoric Acid, Phosphoric Acid is more commonly known as the substance that gives soda its acidity. To quench your thirst, consider this: phosphoric acid is also used to remove rust, in some cases employing what is called an "acid bath"
No.4) Sorbitol, like many of the other common sugar alcohols, can actually be more like a frenemy when you hang out too often. You see, sorbitol, when consumed in mass quantities, acts as a laxative—proving the adage "too much of a good thing."
No.3) Gelatin, for those who don't know, consists of the collagen extracted from an animal's skin and (mostly) bones.
No.2) Xanthan Gum, which gets its name from Xanthomonas campestris (a strain of bacteria present during the fermentation process), contains bacteria similar to rotting veggies.
No.1) Carmine, consists of a mixture of ... crushed beetles. More specifically, these dried insects are boiled in water to extract the carminic acid they contain (or did contain). Typically, due to the fantastic red hue the resulting potion gives off, this ingredient is used to artificially dye foods red, purple and pink; however, you can taste these little buggers in some fruit juices, berry punches, ice cream, yogurt and candy (so ya know, all the good stuff).
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Elligirl
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Those aren't weird at all. In fact, I think it's weird that those are surprising to people. Ingredients have been disclosed on packages for years now!
- 2 years ago
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Elligirl
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chasingame
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That is so much information that I could have made it through the day without......
Interesting though! At least the part about the crushed beetles.
- 2 years ago
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chasingame
