Researchers use DNA analysis to identify the “worm” in Mezcal

The worm in the bottle makes Mezcal agave schnapps a cult in its country of origin, Mexico. Alcohol has been produced since the 17th century. But it wasn’t until the 1940s and 1950s that some manufacturers began adding a special ingredient: worms, strictly speaking larvae.

To which animal species the larvae belong exactly was unclear until now, different species are possible. Using DNA analyzes of so-called Mezcal worms, an international team of researchers has now been able to demonstrate that the larvae of the moth Comadia redtenbacheri are mainly used. According to the researchers, this circumstance endangers the survival of the animals. Mezcal is being produced in increasing quantities. Overall, the experts examined larvae from 21 different Mezcals.

“Our finding that all larvae belong to a single species of moth reinforces the importance of C. redtenbacheri to the mezcal industry,” the researchers, led by Akito Kawahara of Florida University in Gainesville, write in the journal PeerJ Life & Environment. The larvae of this species were among the most popular edible insects in Mexico. According to the article, they should give the mezcal its characteristic taste and color.

“The larvae of C. redtenbacheri develop in agaves and not in tree trunks, roots, crowns, trunks or branches,” the team of scientists write. The animals laid their eggs in agave plants. When the moths accumulated in the plant in large numbers, the agave died. Larvae collectors, known as gusaneros, would identify infested agave plants and pull out the larvae with a metal hook or an agave pin.

According to the researchers, the intensive collection drastically reduces the number of naturally occurring larvae. That is why we are working on methods to breed the larvae in a targeted manner. (sda/dpa)