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Oh Crap... it's Vanila Extract!
Recent discussion on the Roth Army Forums about carcinogenic (cancer causing) agents found in soft drinks provided some food for thought and led me to consider that this article (below) might also be of some interest to you all.
[Quote]
Japanese researchers extract vanilla from cow dung.
In a world-first recycling project, a one-hour heating and
pressuring process allows cow faeces to produce vanillin, the main
component of the vanilla-bean extract, according to researcher Mayu
Yamamoto.
The vanillin extracted from the faeces could be used in products such
as shampoo and aromatic candles but not in food, said Yamamoto, who
works for the Research Institute of the state-run International
Medical Center of Japan.
Compared with usual vanilla, "this component is exactly the same but
it would be difficult for people to accept it in food, given the
recent rules of disclosing the origins of ingredients," she said.
The production cost using dung is less than a half of making
vanillin out of vanilla beans, she added.
The faeces of grass-eating animals is abundant with lignin, the
chemical compound that exists in plants and trees and is used to
produce vanilla aroma, Yamamoto said.
"Lignin is difficult to decompose," she said. "Farmers are troubled
by how to dispose properly of animal excrement. We tried to solve
this from a recycling viewpoint," she said.
After taking the vanillin, the processed faeces could be returned to
the soil, she said.
The research has been done in cooperation with major Japanese
chemicals firm Sekisui Chemical.
The research team aims to develop a machine to handle several tons
of faeces a day and put it in practical use in two-to-three years.
SOURCE: AFP vIA yahoonews
[Unquote]
I think it was Charlton Heston who said "Soylent green is people"...
perhaps he could have added "and Vanilla Extract is Crap!"
Recent discussion on the Roth Army Forums about carcinogenic (cancer causing) agents found in soft drinks provided some food for thought and led me to consider that this article (below) might also be of some interest to you all.
[Quote]
Japanese researchers extract vanilla from cow dung.
In a world-first recycling project, a one-hour heating and
pressuring process allows cow faeces to produce vanillin, the main
component of the vanilla-bean extract, according to researcher Mayu
Yamamoto.
The vanillin extracted from the faeces could be used in products such
as shampoo and aromatic candles but not in food, said Yamamoto, who
works for the Research Institute of the state-run International
Medical Center of Japan.
Compared with usual vanilla, "this component is exactly the same but
it would be difficult for people to accept it in food, given the
recent rules of disclosing the origins of ingredients," she said.
The production cost using dung is less than a half of making
vanillin out of vanilla beans, she added.
The faeces of grass-eating animals is abundant with lignin, the
chemical compound that exists in plants and trees and is used to
produce vanilla aroma, Yamamoto said.
"Lignin is difficult to decompose," she said. "Farmers are troubled
by how to dispose properly of animal excrement. We tried to solve
this from a recycling viewpoint," she said.
After taking the vanillin, the processed faeces could be returned to
the soil, she said.
The research has been done in cooperation with major Japanese
chemicals firm Sekisui Chemical.
The research team aims to develop a machine to handle several tons
of faeces a day and put it in practical use in two-to-three years.
SOURCE: AFP vIA yahoonews
[Unquote]
I think it was Charlton Heston who said "Soylent green is people"...
perhaps he could have added "and Vanilla Extract is Crap!"
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