Very secret ingredients

Some bread contains the amino acid L-cysteine to prolong shelflife. It originates from human hair.

The vanilla flavour in some ice cream comes from castoreum which is produced in the castor sacs found near beavers’ backsides.

The anti-freeze ingredient propylene glycol is used in some baked goods. It stops fat clumping in ready-made cake mix.

Some pesticides use chitosan, made from shrimp and crab shells, to fight bacteria on bananas – a potential concern for vegetarians.

Certain chicken nuggets contain dimethylpolysiloxane, a chemical found in breast implants.

Shellac, an insect excretion, is used to help make jelly beans shiny.

Gelatine from boiled animal bones gives marshmallows their bouncy shape and makes sugar stick to some brands of cereal.

A dye made from crushed beetles is used to colour red sweets and some cosmetics. It can be labelled as carmine, cochineal extract, natural red 4 or E120.

Some olive oil may be adulterated with cheaper vegetable oils.

Apples are often picked when they are slightly unripe, treated with a chemical called 1methylcyclopropene and kept in cold storage for nine to 12 months.

Some wines, beers and stouts contain isinglass, a substance made from the swim-bladders of fish that is used as part of the filtering process.

Red wine which claims to have ‘hints of toasty oak’ might not have been aged in oak barrels. Instead, oak essence may have been added as a flavouring.