Posted on 11/21/2023 7:26:10 PM PST by Jonty30
For centuries, shipworms have vexed mariners by boring into – and consuming – the hulls of wooden ships and boats. Soon, though, we may actually be eating those "worms," as they have successfully been farmed for the first time.
Scientifically known as teredinids, shipworms are actually a type of bivalve mollusk.
This means they're related to clams, mussels and oysters. Because they spend their lives protected inside the wood that they eat, however, they only have a tiny shell at their front end, where it aids in the wood-boring process.
In the Philippines, shipworms are already wild-harvested and sold as a delicacy. They're said to taste like oysters. According to scientists from the universities of Plymouth and Cambridge, they also contain much more vitamin B12 than most mollusks.
They also grow faster than any other bivalve, due to the fact that they don't have to put much energy into generating their minuscule shell. In just six months, they can reach a length of about 30 cm (12 in). By contrast, mussels and oysters – with their much larger shells – may take up to two years to grow to a harvestable size.
With these attributes in mind, a team led by U Plymouth's Dr. Reuben Shipway and U Cambridge's Dr. David Willer has developed a modular aquaculture system for growing shipworms in locations far from the sea. This means that any waste won't disperse into the surrounding ocean, which is an environmental concern with marine fish farms.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
Give them to the cows on the view they could use a few less poundage
Filet (the tender part) of roaches. Yum.
When the war against white bread started and roughage became the rage, some breads were found to be adding wood fiber to it. Evidently, wood fiber is healthful.
WOOD PULP AS FIBER IN BREAD
THE source of fiber in a number of high-fiber breads is nonnutritional wood pulp, according to a Washington-based consumer group. The group, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, listed nine such breads on the market: Less; Roman Lite; Lite Loaf; Lite’n Up; Merita Lite; Tasty Lite; Sunbeam Lite; Vim, and 40.
“The recent class-action lawsuit brought against Taco Bell raised questions about the quality of food many Americans eat each day. Chief among them is the use of cellulose (read: wood pulp), an extender whose use in a roster of food products, from crackers and ice creams to puddings and baked goods, is now being exposed. Cellulose is virgin wood pulp whose variant forms (cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, etc.) are deemed safe for human consumption by the FDA, but the agency sets no limit on the amount that can be used in food products, as it does with other contaminants. The USDA, which regulates meats, has set a limit of 3.5% on the use of cellulose, since fiber in meat products cannot be recognized nutritionally. “As commodity prices continue to rally and the cost of imported materials impacts earnings, we expect to see increasing use of surrogate products within food items. Cellulose is certainly in higher demand and we expect this to continue,” Michael A. Yoshikami, chief investment strategist at YCMNet Advisors, told TheStreet. Manufacturers use cellulose in food as an extender, providing structure and reducing breakage, said Dan Inman, director of research and development at J. Rettenmaier USA, a company that supplies “organic” cellulose fibers for use in a variety of processed foods. Cellulose adds fiber to the food, which is good for people who do not get the recommended daily intake of fiber in their diets, Inman said. It also extends the shelf life of processed foods. Plus, cellulose’s water-absorbing properties can mimic fat, he said, allowing consumers to reduce their fat intake. Perhaps most important to food processors is that cellulose is cheaper, he added, because “the fiber and water combination is less expensive than most other ingredients in the [food] product.”
MMMMMmmmmm! Steamed Cherry-Stone teredinids with melted butter....
I agree.
MMMMMmmmmm! Steamed Cherry-Stone teredinids with melted butter....
I guess it would depend on the taste and texture - love steamed clams and both raw and cooked oysters - night be more prone to check these out than bugs and actual worms...
We’ll have to eat the left. They wanted this. I’m not eating worms.
They're not "worms". They are basically long, skinny oysters.
“They are basically long, skinny oysters.”
I like oysters to a point, but I won’t eat a worm just because it identifies an an oyster.
Will they come in flavors like Oak? Pine? Mahogany? Don’t think I would like Cedar flavored ones.
Not to mention the lack of eggs. Which is really natures perfect food all wrapped up in a sterile package.
Maggots and buzzards hold huge protest.
I don’t like oysters. I used to love clams and scallops, but I no longer eat shell fish.
The worms may be a dèlicious delicacy to some, but they sound nasty to me. Oysters...eww.
They can have them. :)
I don’t believe that mollusks exist for us to eat, because their diet is scavangers. What they eat, we eat if we eat them. They are eating diseased meat and everything.
That is amazing! I didn’t know any of that.
Not that surprising or alarming though. Lots of plants are edible with varying degrees of processing that most people have no familiarity with.
Cedar would be a little strong. Maybe some shipworms fed on cinnamon trees!?
I could be happy the rest of my life eating cinnamon worms.
Mollusks are filter feeders that eat phytoplankton and zooplankton, not waste.
Mollusks keep water in a nitrogen balance.
https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/can-clams-and-oysters-help-clean-up-waterways/
Guess what eats the nitrogen before the mollusks filter and remove it from the water? Mollusks cannot incorporate nitrates unless it is “fixed” by PLANTS (phytoplankton aka “algae”) first. The algae remove the nitrogen from the water, the mollusks remove the algae. Try again...
You can eat them if you want. I wouldn’t stop you. You have to live with the consequences of your actions. That’s not the issue.
God told us in Deut 14 to not eat them, so we shouldn’t eat them and I won’t eat them.
They exist to clean up the water.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.