A new study published in PeerJ Life & Environment looked to identify the species of larva found in bottles of Mezcal. Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of agave.
Are people consuming larvae of the skipper butterfly Aegiale hesperiaris , or the larva of the moth Comadia redtenbacheri , the latter which is thought to be declining in numbers in recent years? Or is the worm the larva of a weevil, or another unidentified insect species? Researchers used DNA-based identification analysis of larvae inside 21 commercially available mezcals to determine their identity.
Specimens were obtained from mezcal bottles that were purchased between 2018 and 2022.
The results were somewhat unexpected. Historically there are about 63 species of larvae or “worms” that are consumed in Mexico, including the Tequila giant skipper ( A. hesperiaris ) which, given its name, implies that it is included in tequila and other mezcals.
Adding larvae to Mexican beverages and foods (salts, garnishes, powders, etc.) is driven by health benefits and by beliefs that these larvae contain aphrodisiac properties (Contreras-Frias, 2013). This trend is resulting in greater demand that is applying pressure to local larval populations.
In response to the declining number of mezcal larvae, researchers have begun to develop methods to cultivate these larvae in captivity.
PeerJ
Observational study
Mezcal worm in a bottle: DNA evidence suggests a single moth species
8-Mar-2023