Castoreum what is it, where it comes from, and what it is
used for?
Castoreum is a “food flavoring that is extracted from the
castor sac scent glands of the male or female beaver, which are located, near
the anus. The substance is fairly expensive
and is more common in perfume than in actual foods.” Castoreum is a product of the trapping
industry. When beavers are skinned for their fur, these glands are taken out, and
are sold after being smoked or sun-dried to prevent decay. As a result of the trapping
industry the European beaver and American beaver populations have decreased immensely
for not only the castoreum but also their fur.
Castoreum is used in some incense, and is also used to
contribute to the flavor and odor of cigarettes. In food, castoreum is
used to flavor candies, drinks, and desserts. “Acute toxicity studies in
animals indicate that castoreum extract is nontoxic by both oral and dermal
routes of administration and is not irritating or phototoxic to skin. Castoreum
extract possesses weak antibacterial activity. A long historical use of
castoreum extract as a flavoring and fragrance ingredient has resulted in no
reports of human adverse reactions. Low-level,
long-term exposure to castoreum extract does not pose a health risk. The
objective of this review is to evaluate the safety-in-use of castoreum extract
as a food ingredient”
The exact definition given from the Code of Federal
Regulations for natural flavors is: “The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil,
oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any
product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring
constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable
juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material,
meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof,
whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”
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