Tag: Beaver secretion

For decades, a persistent urban legend has claimed that natural vanilla flavor comes from a secretion from a beaver's anal glands. This claim, while partially based on historical fact, is not true for virtually all commercial vanilla products today. Understanding the difference between historical use and modern food production reveals the surprising reality behind this food myth.

The rumor that a beaver's anal secretions, known as castoreum, are used to create raspberry flavoring is a persistent urban legend. While it is technically possible and historically has occurred, the use of castoreum in modern food production for raspberry flavoring is almost non-existent. The vast majority of raspberry flavors today are derived from synthetic sources or other plant-based materials.

Despite persistent internet rumours, castoreum is not used in UK food production today, and its use globally is extremely rare. The high cost and difficulty of harvesting this beaver secretion have made it commercially unviable compared to modern synthetic alternatives.