Miami, Mar 8 (EFE).- A group of scientists from the University of Florida (UF) scientifically verified that the “worms” in mezcal bottles are not worms, but the caterpillars of the red agave worm moth (Comadia redtenbacheri).
According to an article published this Wednesday on the website of the UF Museum of Natural Sciences, until now there was no consensus on what type of larva is used in mezcal or if it belongs to one or multiple species.
“This is probably because most biologists aren’t looking inside the bottles,” said Akito Kawahara, curator of the UF Museum’s McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity.
Since the 1940s, to distinguish and flavor mezcal, a traditional Mexican drink made from the boiled and fermented sap of agaves whose consumption is booming, worms are added to the bottles.
Until now there was no consensus on what type of larva is used in mezcal or if it belongs to one or multiple species.
Akito Kawahara and his colleagues traveled in 2022 to Oaxaca, Mexico, which has been the center of mezcal production for centuries, to identify the worms.
The results of the study, which was published this Wednesday in the scientific journal PeerJ Life & Environment, surprised UF scientists, who in Oaxaca visited distilleries to obtain a diverse sample of the larvae in the bottles.
“Fortunately, mezcal is an excellent preservative that prevents the decomposition of the larvae and their genetic codes,” says the article on the museum’s website.
The scientists thought that since “maguey worms” are not bred commercially, makers of the drink would likely use several species, most notably a type of butterfly called the giant tequila skipper (Aegiale hesperiaris), which lays its eggs on the agave plants.
Its large, milky-white caterpillars, like many “maguey worms,” made it the top choice.
However, the DNA unequivocally identified the 18 samples analyzed as the caterpillars of the red agave worm moth (Comadia redtenbacheri), another type of agave parasite with pink larvae, whose color changes as a result of being stored in alcohol. for a long time.
According to a report by Straits Research, an independent analytical firm, Mezcal sales are expected to increase by 22% over the next decade and generate $2.1 billion in profits by 2030.
Unlike Tequila, which is mass-produced in industrial autoclaves, mezcal production continues to rely on small-scale facilities in the Mexican countryside.
The study says it is unclear if all mezcal distilleries and farm owners will be able to sustainably scale up production to meet demand.
The future of the red agave worm moths is also “uncertain”, because the demand for the larva in Mexican culinary establishments has also increased in recent years.
“Agave worms are still quite common, but the popularity of mezcal may have long-term negative effects on local populations,” Kawahara said.
