Chewing gum is a common snack food, eating it is not for nutrition, so its composition and ordinary food have a big difference, known as one of the most additive foods.
Chewing gum contains dozens of ingredients, one of which is called lac or shellac, which is actually the secretion of insects.
【What is lac】
Shellac, also known as shellac, red gum, comfrey mushroom, is the secretion of lac worm.
Lac worm is a plant parasite with high economic value, there are about 20 species in the world, mainly distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of East Asia, South Asia and Australia, and there are more than 10 species in China.
It is not picky eater and can parasitize more than 300 kinds of plants, among which the more common in China are yellow sandalwood trees, acacia trees, pigeon bean trees, betel nuts and so on.
Lac is the only animal resin, its composition is very complex, of which 70-80% is resin, the remaining components include lac wax, lac pigment and moisture.
Lac has the advantages of insulation, moisture-proof, acid resistance, anti-corrosion, anti-rust, strong adhesion, strong thermoplasticity, good color fixing performance, non-toxic and harmless, etc., and is an important raw material in the fields of chemical industry, light industry, food, medicine, military industry, mechanical and electrical.
【How did the laurece come from】
Young lac worms will flock to trees in search of suitable branches and settle down once they find them.
Among them, the female lac worm can secrete lac and form a rubber shell outside the body, leaving 3 holes in the shell for ventilation and excretion, and she hides in the shell to enjoy the sap of the plant and give birth to the next generation.
Lac worms can be kept for 2 seasons per year, with one harvest in April-May and one harvest in September-October.
When harvesting, the branches wrapped in lac are cut off, and then washed, removed and purified to obtain lac for different purposes.
The price of lac is more expensive, and it can be sold for tens of thousands of yuan a ton, which is one of the channels for farmers in mountainous areas to get rid of poverty.
【Ant Nanny】
Friends who have seen the animal world should know that aphids and ants can form a wonderful symbiotic relationship.
Aphids suck the sap of plants and excrete honeydew to feed the ants; ants are responsible for repelling aphids' natural enemies while enjoying honeydew.
The relationship between lac worms and ants is similar, but ants have a more important significance for lac worms.
First of all, the honeydew discharged by the lac worm is sprayed in the form of tiny droplets, but in the dry season, the honeydew sugar content is high, the viscosity is large, and it is easy to stick to the lac worm, resulting in stomata blockage.
The lac worm parasitizes on the branches and does not move, and will eventually be choked to death.
Secondly, if the honeydew is concentrated on the branches and leaves, it is easy to mold under warm and moist conditions, causing the host plant to get sick, and the lac worm will be malnourished, so the ants eating the honeydew can be said to have saved the life of the lac worm.
In addition, studies have found that ants flap lac worms with their antennae, stimulating it to secrete more honeydew.
I don't know whether it is the stress response or the acceleration of metabolism, the lac worms patronized by ants not only secrete more honeydew, but also secrete more lac, and the insect body grows larger.