Castoreum Job · 12:54pm Jul 26th, 2014
According to National Geographic, Beaver butts secrete a goo called castoreum, which they use to mark their territory.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lists castoreum as a “generally regarded as safe” additive, and manufacturers have been using it extensively in perfumes and foods for at least 80 years, according to a 2007 study in the International Journal of Toxicology.
Castoreum is a chemical compound that mostly comes from a beaver’s castor sacs, which are located between the pelvis and the base of the tail. Because of its close proximity to the anal glands, castoreum is often a combination of castor gland secretions, anal gland secretions, and urine. The fragrant, brown slime is about the consistency of molasses, though not quite as thick. While most anal secretions stink due to odor-producing bacteria in the gut, this chemical compound is a product of the beaver’s diet of leaves and bark. Instead of smelling odious, castoreum has a musky, vanilla scent, which is why food scientists like to incorporate it in recipes. Getting a beaver to produce castoreum for purposes of food processing involves milking their anal glands so the fluid can be extracted. So how can you tell if the food you're eating includes "beaver-bum butter" as one of its ingredients? Manufacturers don’t have to list castoreum on the ingredient list and may instead refer to it as “natural flavoring.”
You know what this means, right? We need an fanfic where Fluttershy milks Mr. Beaverton in order to obtain castoreum extract. I hope she at least buys him dinner first.
If nothing else, Bronystories, following you is educational in every sense of the word.
Ewwwww that's nasty.
As always, sir, you are a wealth of information that I could just as easily have gone the rest of my life without knowing. Yet I do not regret learning it. Thank you for your tireless efforts to educate.
Beavers Ass. Now with 8 essential vitamins and minerals. Your kids will LOVE the taste Beaver Ass.
*bites into a scoop of Beaver Ass cereal*
MM-mmm! An all NATURAL breakfast for you and your family!
Beaver Ass. Now with marshmallows*!
*Marshmallows made with ALL NATURAL FLAVORS
That picture is lovely. Now we know where she gets her perfumes!
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These three all said what I was thinking. And that last picture is cute in such a delightfully odd way.
I love following you, dude. I hate half of your stories, but your blog absolutely rocks!
*Grins* I can't believe I'm saying this but I learned this in school....and I live in Canada.
heh...
I wish I could upvote this blog so people know I want this story to happen.
How many times have I said "I'm going to hell for reading this" ?
I've lost count.
I should be a rich jerk though if I got a dollar (U.S. dollar, I'm American 
) for every single time I uttered that line.'
I already knew all of this. Given that the beaver is Canada's national animal, we are all born with an innate knowledge of these things.
You totes got this from SciShow!
I watched it a few days ago
Damn nature... you funky
Glad I live in a country where Beavers aren't.
That would be another fic for me to avoid like the plague. Other stories on such a list include Spa
rity and any with Sweetie Belle/High Score as the subject 