Why Melted Bugs On Candy And Lemons Fuel A $167 Million Industry | Big Business | Business Insider

[@lucascoquelet225]

I am a violin maker and I use shellac for the confection of alcohol and oil varnish. This video helped a lot to understand the chain of workers behing these golden flakes. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@BusinessInsider]

Thanks for sharing!

[@akashchoudhury6694]

Hygiene is illegal in India

[@ff1077]

​@@BusinessInsiderso why did you all pin this specific comment and not the one noting the time between shellac being stretched by someone's feet to it being on their candy?

[@greatwhiteflash1645]

@@ff1077 I guess we're just going to have to live with the fact that the world is an unpredictable place and unexpected things often happen.

[@johnnychang4233]

@@ff1077 Have you ever hear about Pasteurization?

[@bobjohnson8447]

28 seconds in and we've gone from a guy stretching shellac with his toes to talking about how it's going to cover my jelly beans.

[@SuperCakeKing]

and if ya dont like it you’re a racist deal with it

[@portanrayken3814]

he is also biting it with his mouth too

[@cosmickitteh]

ohh nyoo

[@77Avadon77]

🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮@@portanrayken3814

[@aodhanking2539]

Hey , if you don't like curry toe-jam or Hindu spittle, you just don't know what you are missing the investment of a lifetime and a racist, said no one ever in human history except businesses insider.. And don't forget that duck feces.

[@mountaineergirl255]

What I wonder is who first took the bug goo off trees, chopped it up, melted it, filtered it, put it on wood things and then said "hey I bet this will be great to eat!"

[@AE-bh5zs]

Some clever person who saw it as a wood preservative? Shellac has many uses.

[@ernstschmidt4725]

it's shiny, people like shiny, they even like shiny food.

[@dawnj2360]

Yeah, I wonder that every time I see something like this.

[@wokeydokey6885]

​@@ernstschmidt4725Yeah, Pokemon proves it.

[@Peleski]

Doubtless they were first using it for tools, like sticking arrow heads on wood. It just evolved for other uses.

[@Matt_win]

Proof that good marketing and packaging can make you eat anything, even bug shit with feet flavour 💀

[@eriksonyw]

wines are traditionally made with feet flavor too 🍷

[@OsmanWan]

,😂😂😂😂😂

[@OsmanWan]

Be specific bro it's not just any feet it's indian feet flavour

[@jueviolegrace8827]

*only in india*

[@deathsupplier8408]

@@jueviolegrace8827 India don't have candy culture, We uses it for jewellery and furniture, That's you who demanding shiny candies from birth

[@peteralonso]

My favorite part is when the narrator is telling us about how the sap can be found in some of your favorite candies, just as the Indian fellow is holding the sheet of sap with his bare foot and mouth.

[@PgXcTrackRunner]

In the dirt 😂

[@nerrade]

This is one of the most bizarre things I have ever heard. I've know shellac as a wood treatment for most of my life and I just figured it was a petrochemical. It's a bug excretion?!?! I have no words.

[@EdwoodCA]

Wait 'til you find out that anything fermented is from bacteria's waste product. Bread and beer come to mind, first. :D

[@nerrade]

@@EdwoodCA I make beer, wine, bread, cider, mead etc. It's fun to play with yeast ;)

[@SomeBuddy777]

Bug Shell Lacquer

[@skyfinancejanitor6695]

Nice to know we’ve all indirectly kissed an indian man

[@nosrah9660]

@@EdwoodCAyeast for baking and brewing is a fungus though. But I do believe bacteria is added after some yeast fermentation in the production of certain alcoholic beverages though and non-alcoholic ones like Kombucha and yoghurt.

[@BunkerSquirrel]

as a prolific enjoyer of bee vomit, I see no issue here.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

Yeah a lot of people forget that one. However my understanding is that they have a "nectar stomach" that is separate of their digestive tract, where they store the nectar used for honey

[@sandratania5149]

😂🙌🏻❤️

[@yuzzo92]

Average bee vomit fan vs average shellac enjoyer (They're both gigachads)

[@gemmameidia8438]

The bare food, hand and those teeth tho 😅😅😅

[@iankellymorris]

​@@gemmameidia8438It gets refined, so it doesn't matter at all.

[@olgar.6604]

I love antique furniture and its restauration. Shellac is just invaluable as a wood finish. So much more beautiful than modern plastic finishes. Big respect to these workers keeping this industry alive❤

[@Brandon-218]

India: We use it for glossing furniture and clothing. America: We use it for Food..💀

[@sokawai5]

I LOVE AMERICAAAA

[@dhruvakhera5011]

@@sokawai5 H1B1 visa still rejected womp womp

[@BelovedfriendLSB]

it's how we convince ourselves we're not still cavemen sitting around on dull rocks

[@clashingfrontiers]

😂😂

[@MoneyMitrovic333]

And Americans clown the east for eating bizarre foods😂

[@justincase1575]

I’m 71 years old and have used shellac for years on furniture and never knew that my kids and grandkids eat it to on their candy! Didn’t know it came from bug poop either!

[@dingalarm]

It's not bug poop.

[@LGBTGROOMSOURCHILDREN]

@@dingalarmYou really should spend some time looking it up your self, I don't think you understand what secretion and excretion are.

[@Kateluvssuu]

@@dingalarmwhy are you mad

[@dingalarm]

@@LGBTGROOMSOURCHILDREN No, I understand the difference perfectly. Shellac is a secretion, not an excretion. And it isn't faecal matter, as you seem to imply. It is a resin (natural polymer) exuded by the lac insect to form a cocoon around itself.

[@gavindabishinda1460]

@@dingalarmwhat’s with the psycho vibes ?

[@Sh4rK280]

Shellac is the most durable (and expensive) primer on the market. It will cover stains and smells that even oil primers can’t. We use it on smoke damaged homes and heavy cigarette smokers houses too. This stuff is absolutely essential in the painting industry. It blocks water stains and wood tannins better than any other primer and also dries the fastest, in about 15 minutes, because it is used with an alcohol base so it evaporates quickly. Super durable and has the highest adhesion on the market. It has also jumped up $50 a gallon from 2022 to now ($80-$130 CAD).

[@honor9lite1337]

Got it.

[@pierrex3226]

exact, the GOAT of primers!

[@HeatherGermaine]

It makes it real sad to hear the woman is making half her usual profit harvesting them when the demand and price of the stuff has gone up

[@regis_c]

Oh shoot My local Lowe's has started discounting a gallon of a Zinsser shellac to $39 (used to be $60) I also know the primer you are talking about, the B-I-N stuff that Zinsser also makes Premium stuff How does it compare to Kilz Original (the red can)?

[@theheavenlyoption]

And it's also used to coat candy?

[@YogirajMishraIN]

00:05 Shellac, a natural resin from bugs, fuels a $167 million industry. 01:13 Harvesting and processing lac insects for shellac production. 02:35 Manufacturing process of lac involves crushing, washing, and drying to ensure quality and maximize yield. 03:57 Production process of Lac in a factory. 05:23 Traditional shellac making process using a tool called a pipa 06:37 Shellac, a versatile product with ancient history and varied uses 07:36 Shellac industry worth $167 million globally 08:40 Indian Lac producers are facing challenges due to climate crisis Crafted by Merlin AI.

[@OkeeeDokey]

I think I am way more impressed with the lady that climbed that tree as if it was just going for a walk.

[@yuri8217]

You never climbed a tree before?

[@adnanmahmood1014]

As if she. You said it !!!

[@user-zr7cm3ni3s]

@@adnanmahmood1014 ‘it’ as in the action of climbing the tree, do everyone a favour and learn grammar please

[@UserUser-in6ig]

Me too

[@Onigirli]

​@@user-zr7cm3ni3s They didn't mean "taking the tree for a walk?" :( The outside world just got a little less magical

[@AEOH3X]

props to the tree lady. you're the real MVP.

[@MickChallenger-q9l]

A real monkey in its natural habitat

[@sum8601]

its crazy how this multi million dollar industry all begins with a sari wearing lady climbing a tree with a crude knife

[@Truth_chan_studio]

Ikr!

[@vastavvikta5456]

@@sum8601and a lot, a hell lot, of wealth disparity!

[@benhoward2619]

Don’t forget sock-windlass-spinning guy

[@dirty8509]

I’m a woodworker from FL I use shellac on most of the stuff I build I really appreciate the hard work that goes into making the shellac that I use every day I knew it came from a bug but I had no idea what went into making it now after watching this video I have a much more appreciation for shellac and what the people go through to make it. Thank you

[@PocketSandMan]

you can literally harvest pine resin or Burch oil and do the same thing for a lot cheaper and more locally sourced

[@gueits8586]

India out here making bug flavored fruit roll ups 😂

[@theonetruemorty4078]

After all of that foot action, I'll never look at jelly beans the same.

[@lynch42o]

its all boiled down later, so it doesnt matter.

[@gorak9000]

To each their own - more toe jam beans for me then...

[@Dougpoppington]

And it was lots of that going on!

[@theonetruemorty4078]

@@gorak9000 Let's be real, I'll never give up Jelly Belly addiction.

[@FBi_.]

What im saying

[@Silencyde]

I'm more impressed by humans discovering how to make this stuff than A.I.

[@imnotdavidxnsx]

Why not both? Are you very old?

[@Gingerblaze]

@@imnotdavidxnsx nah. One involved the entire human, the other, just math.

[@NoctuaOlivae]

​@@Gingerblazeyeah so does interpretive dance. Are you saying that's more impressive than every scientific or medical advancement we've ever made as a species?

[@Vjtubeq]

That is what Ancient Vedic knowledge. Where the Nalanda University is Destroyed the lakhs of books by burning 6 months. Proud to Santanani.

[@billydagenham]

@@Gingerblaze “just math” lol math is a human endeavor that has had millions of people working on it for thousand of years across cultures

[@leaf16nut]

How anybody originally figured out this stuff is absolutely insane to think about..

[@ReveredWizardBob]

The power of boredom

[@Kittsuera]

prob found it while burning wood in a fire or stove. then collected it and wondered. "what if"

[@HiLaToya]

Word.

[@codiserville593]

Oh yeah

[@codiserville593]

​@@Kittsueranow that sounds likely

[@PortRhouse]

This is wild. I had absolutely no idea where shellac came from and here I am learning that is melted down insect secretions from India. That’s amazing.

[@moupal5176]

I am from India. It's a really good video on shellac. I live in a village which is famous for it.

[@raje279]

Place

[@gr8vijay]

Which village ?

[@vastavvikta5456]

दिहाड़ी कितना मिलता है इनको? Cuz they seem very poor! Wish we had better laws to protect them, I can bet my ass the woman climbing has no insurance!

[@Psyopcyclops]

I’m very sorry to hear that. Hopefully your next life is somewhere in Europe

[@Justakatto]

​@@PsyopcyclopsLMAOOO I'm wheezing

[@GarrettWatts]

“Iceberg straight ahead!” 4:39

[@kerhabplays]

**Starts to play My Heart Will Go On**

[@senseisapphire7763]

😂😂😂ohhhhhhhh,

[@Kurayamiblack]

I got the quote's reference to the movie but it took me far too long to recognize timestamp clip's reference to the scene 😅

[@sum8601]

"Bring Me The Horizon"

[@saacde]

That is a knee slapper Garrett!

[@bobsagett]

As soon as someone slows down the boss man says “Stop Shellacing”

[@christopherscott6854]

Reminds me of when my coworker told me that I’d “spackled” the toilet

[@seththechefnola]

BOI

[@dejaykydd_dnb]

You win

[@vxzdzd121]

Your joke literally made me 😬

[@JDLupus]

Good one!

[@boowiebear]

Shellac is such an amazing product. Love using it for woodworking.

[@landog59]

I've learned a lot today and I have already lost weight just by watching this video, thanks for keeping my body in shape, KZbin!!

[@N1c0T1n3__]

Shame you couldn't learn about how Westerners exploit 3rd world countries.

[@pppp-dm4cj]

amazing to see we still employ slaves but now we pay them cents so its okay

[@bowman3545]

soy

[@dreamdestroyers19931]

XD

[@tedarcher9120]

Did you puke lol?

[@ms.payton1458]

I don't know how or why this video popped up on my feed, but I'm so glad it did. Learn something new every day!

[@winzigerwhoop2131]

because its your "feed".. and were eating bug shit.! lol

[@dn734]

@ms.payton1458 Seems random but it's not.., we are being 'groomed' to accept a diet of bugs. The presentation 'appears' harmless.., but consider that, this 'type' of 'apparently harmless' presentation is how 2 generations of children have been groomed towards 'gender confusion' etc. Sneaky sneaky messaging...

[@minzy5857]

yes! I love business insider’s youtube channel, it’s taught me so much and it’s always so interesting!

[@jake9854]

​@@minzy5857but girls think this channel is boring n nerdy tho

[@yogimarkmac]

So cool to watch this. Last night I dissolved some lak flakes in alcohol, and today I French polished a guitar with it. Such a beautiful and easy finish.

[@sosotik]

yo what guitar was it

[@Nutty...]

@@sosotik probably a classical guitar

[@yogimarkmac]

@@sosotik It was a 130 year old Columbia parlor style guitar that belonged to my great grandmother. She took it from Virginia to Oregon around 1895.

[@TheXxdarkhackxX]

where do you get the lak flakes from?

[@mh1970]

How do you French polish? Does it involve tongue?

[@TomsCustomCreations]

8:20 impeccable timing. Well done editor. Gave me the fizz

[@ZergrushEddie]

Watching them pull the shellac off of the forming tool like one big fruit rollup is quite satisfying

[@PgXcTrackRunner]

Fruit by the meter

[@JaswantSingh-lf7kp]

Our carpenter used this (Lakh Daana) to polish our furniture and wooden gates and I must say, it looks so shiny and it's scratch proof now. A lot of people have asked me what did our carpenter did with the wood to pop its color like that.

[@2024rush]

Is it expensive as compared to a normal furniture varnish??

[@Zara-ZAF]

Same question is it expensive

[@exeVividNova]

​@@2024rush it is not expensive , the price is around same as with other varnishes, and you can make it cheaper if you buy raw shellac and make mixture yourself (dissolve it in ethanol). However shellac is very sensitive to heat, and will blacken if exposed, so it is not a universal fit.

[@sassy1970sy]

Absolutely fascinating. A brilliant educational video. Wish all videos were as clear and detailed as this one. It also proves how nature is the best provider for everything which we are learning more about all the time. Just a shame we don’t look after and appreciate it more!

[@MIR-pv1lq]

1:39 twenty fits on a tree! Wearing a sari!! That's what's called bravery.

[@thecccnz]

No, it's called capitalism. If she falls and hurts herself, she loses her means of an income, end up in a perpetual cycle of debt and lives a life of misery.

[@cybersentient4758]

@@thecccnz lol you burst his bubble man

[@ajaythomas623]

Most of the hospital owned by government provide free or cheap helthcare india

[@learningmaster8060]

@@ajaythomas623 but in Northern India, the quality of Govt hospitals is pathetic.

[@learningmaster8060]

@@ajaythomas623 I guess you should be from Kerala. Only a Keralite can dream of Govt hospitals providing free treatment without bribes

[@jimjames4348]

The woman is fearless. The way she just stands there chillin' in a treetop!

[@kaartikeykusshwaha10-c8]

Our Govt (Indian Govt) should acknowledge this industry since it is very important and more than half of this industry is in India we should encourage and support such occupations so that it becomes even more bigger industry.

[@derrick15]

They need to charge more. They getting ripped off

[@arunkumarvikram]

Once the Govt pays attention it's game over. Probably some politician will take over the business and kick the local guys out. Bad things happen when the Govt notices your business.

[@kaartikeykusshwaha10-c8]

@@arunkumarvikram Then tell us a new solution

[@derrick15]

@@arunkumarvikram exactly they destroy everything and want full control. They are the ones with mental issues that were abuse as children

[@arunkumarvikram]

@@kaartikeykusshwaha10-c8 what is the problem which needs to be solved ?

[@daynasafranek7807]

This was absolutely fascinating to watch. I had no idea how shellac is made and how versatile it is. So many products that we westerners take for granted that are so time intensive to create.

[@dejahdanger]

I had no idea that’s what shellac came from. Fascinating. I hope the farmers and producers can continue making it.

[@uelld.8371]

Shellac is technically a nature plastic. Been used as wood furniture coating and such since ancient times. It's started to be use in food during industrial era. The guy who process these probably doesn't even know that big food companies use them in food.😅

[@sonaliv1489]

Hed mostly laugh and panic that people are eating big waste instead of applying it to furniture or jewelry.

[@6atlantis]

Not even close to a plastic.

[@trueaussie9230]

​@@6atlantis Plastic - adj. (of a substance or material) easily shaped or moulded. Precisely how is shellac NOT a plastic substance?! 🤔

[@trueaussie9230]

Oh. You think they're as insular and ignorant as the average American?! 🤔 Although the USA buys 25% of India's shellac, the vast majority of Americans have no idea that many of their favourite foods are coated in shellac.

[@6atlantis]

@@trueaussie9230 not waterproof like they mentioned in the video. Does not go on in layers like a polyurethane but melts in to itself during each additional coat. Never truly cures, only dries, doesn’t off gas like poly it simply dries when the solvent is gone. Different solvents, alcohol being the solvent for shellac. It’s edible. There are so many variables here that I’m not going to go on, just because something looks like plastic and is used in similar applications doesn’t make it plastic. Put something you cherish out in the rain coated only by shellac or in and tell me if you still consider it a plastic. It is a resin/varnish but it’s natural, plastic is synthetic. So while they may seem to have the same properties, we are comparing apples and oranges.

[@rodneysmart9774]

Great video. I've used shellac on hundreds of wood projects. I love it.

[@Polyrytmi]

has anything changed now that you know and indians toes and teeth stretched it out during the process?

[@shanewalker8607]

​@@Polyrytmi No... why would it? It's a product I use for wood. And I don't eat jelly beans.

[@mahmoudfuad1868]

​@@shanewalker8607then please clarify in your comment that you use it for wood works.

[@wrije]

@@mahmoudfuad1868”on hundreds of wood projects.” are you incapable of reading? or do you just enjoy looking like a moron?

[@jasonmarkus3834]

@@mahmoudfuad1868 it says wood projects in his comment. dont correct people if you barely speak the language.

[@TitanDraugen]

So you're telling me...every time I eat candy, I indirectly kissing those who made the Shellac?

[@sigmazam2206]

We don't eat shellac polished candy in India!

[@sigmazam2206]

Every time you eat a plant product you are also eating animal shit by this logic!

[@predatorhindu8474]

​@@sigmazam2206 we eat sugar colour and corn syrup and low quality chemicals

[@MJ-fv7pe]

So... Shellac was used as a textile for thousands of years, and now it's being used to 'polish' our candies? Awesome.

[@LecherousLizard]

It's mostly just tree resin.

[@toolbaggers]

@@LecherousLizard Okay if you think my poop is mostly corn.

[@modusoperandi4917]

@@toolbaggerspoop with undigested corn

[@wisefries4205]

@@LecherousLizard yes, like sea salt is just whale sperm.

[@doctorpanigrahi9975]

You people seem to enjoy the smell of my feet.

[@tonyrobinson9046]

Fascinating. Thank you. Shellac is also what is used in genuine French polishing.

[@Fred-sy5sg]

Well I guess it's not genuine or French.

[@Der_Gewagte]

In Kinder products too

[@-rate6326]

More like Ancient Indian Polishing

[@imnotdavidxnsx]

What's used in disingenuous French polishing?

[@ziolp]

Ok

[@Soundofwindonsand]

Every jelly bean that you have ever eaten in your entire life. 🎉 SURPRISE🎉

[@MiguelPinto-k9i]

I think this is the last thing to worry about in what a jelly bean contains.

[@nouramy4038]

Jelly => pork ( the cleanser aka recycling garbage) , i don't know wich one is worse ... with this processed food industry wont be surprised if they include human shit in the future...

[@chedderbug2820]

Not just jelly beans. Why do they put it on our healthy food?! Is the US government the only ones that allows it on our food? Great for other uses such as wood protection. I guess a clean processed bug secretion is safer than the toxic chemicals being put into our food.

[@danielcachafeiro2590]

And I thought it was vegan

[@bstaznkid4lyfe392]

🤮

[@fu8713]

Yum feet flavoured lac my fav 😋😋🤩👍

[@danmayberry6717]

I used to make food grade shellac at a chemical plant in St. Louis. It is insanely expensive

[@detectiverigby3949]

Organic shellac or food grade chemical shellac?

[@Stroopwaffe1]

I'm sure they spoke about shellac in band of brothers or saving private ryan because none of the generals knew wtaf shellac was lol.

[@danmayberry6717]

@@detectiverigby3949 food grade. Even made Mars's formulation.

[@kaipullaVig]

Expensive as in to make it or expensive product?

[@mujeeburrahmansharrief8841]

Its shit cheap in india, west is just hyped for everything😂

[@three6ohchris]

It blows me away that back in the day, people were able to go through processes to figure out how to get to shellac from a bug. Like, what initiated then to think hey, I bet if I do all of these steps in this specific order, I'll get a shiny hard shell. And that goes for a lot of other stuff that we have nowadays. Like chocolate and other items that require a specific item, a certain temperature for a specific amount of time, and this and that and different ingredients, in order to get to the point where you have a whole new product. It's just super interesting to me

[@Cobalt-sr6eu]

I always wonder that too!

[@karolinedemon]

Yeah was it trial and errors? What they originally wanted to do w that product or what they wanted to achieve is interesting too... same with what is edible and how something can become edible after like 10 steps

[@ZeroXSEED]

Ancestor want to find something Ancestor found something on [this] Ancestor found [this animal] did it Ancestor had found cultivation This is how we found Aspirin, from willow bark

[@Holyinductor]

Destiny

[@nicfab1]

Well the only coincidence it would take would be someone looking at a half burned tree, seeing some crude shellac dripping out and thinking "mhm that's pretty, let's try to refine it"

[@spacey118]

Holy shellac… the amount of work that goes into something that is used in EVERYTHING!!!!

[@carolray3637]

Fascinating - thank you for educating us! Cheers, from BC, Canada.

[@shubhamraj6497]

I am from Jharkhand, India , where Lac is largely produced and I am an agriculture graduate who also visited LAC RESEARCH INSTITUTE, located in Ranchi, Jharkhand. I will try my best to come in this market and make it more local to global and increase local farmers income. Like it to remind me , until I reply back on this section that I finally did what I said/commented today.

[@balwaann]

Did you do it yet?

[@terrylegend7669]

Tell them to be way more sanitary?

[@evocati6523]

it's been 15 hours, we need a progress report

[@aiperthatgotmutatedbytruth5638]

And supporting the death of millions of insects for absolutely no real reason- a true human right there

[@Woodburnworks]

Well hurry up its already been 16 full hours

[@juliestannard5538]

Astounding! How on earth did someone see a product at the end of bug poop after such a laborious process. Incredible . Thank you.

[@jacquimunns2093]

Agree

[@Baronnax]

Human ingenuity is endless. Some nutcases will try to tell us they're given to us by aliens or something but that shit just minimises our ancestors' achievements.

[@lobais]

It's not bug poop. It's just the resin the insect sucks out of the tree. Just like amber.

[@celxoirealyx]

You and I have eaten bug vomit in our lifetime. Take a guess 👀

[@maclura]

@@celxoirealyx ya people forget what honey is, though walmart honey isn't honey anymore it's like invert sugar and other things.

[@Original-Phantom]

Shout out to the Sister Climbing the tree, Amazing Work Jazak Allah

[@krishanSharma.69.69f]

Thanks, she is my salve.

[@Warsama-w]

​@@krishanSharma.69.69fsays the cow worshiper 😂

[@MickChallenger-q9l]

A real monkey in its natural habitat

[@karensback]

GOD

[@tvm73827]

Thank you for bringing us this story. I had no idea about this substance. Also the style of this segment was very appealing. You did not editorialize or inject your biases into the story and only focused on the facts! Thanks once again

[@Radiohead1996]

5:43 "This is a completely natural product!" Dude is so proud LMAO!

[@mastachen9392]

Well in nowadays it’s really smth that you should be proud of

[@davidandrres]

@@mastachen9392 Exactly

[@Mom-pl2xb]

@@Christ4Life777and also you know water resistant wood and our dinner tables

[@Mom-pl2xb]

@@Christ4Life777 sorry mane your not making any sense lac coating on your wood is super underrated

[@djcarbine3074]

I do shellac finishes on some of my rifle stocks@@Mom-pl2xb

[@TheFatblob25]

This is the best video I've ever come across regarding shellac production... Its fascinating.

[@Toughmittens]

What’s more fascinating is how the people doing all this labor for such a lucrative business are living in such severe poverty

[@TheFatblob25]

@@ToughmittensTotally agree. Middlemen, middlemen & more middlemen. Its the problem in every aspect of the economy, especially global trade. I was just remarking about the unique specifics of where shellac comes from..insect excretions to manual processing & refining.

[@royrached6668]

Yeah so fascinating ............processing it is more discussing than the bug itself

[@yaboiavery5986]

Feetcinating

[@eXpressYourselfClips]

Never eating jelly beans again

[@elongaabigail8636]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@mzkeekos]

WE'VE BEEN EATING FEET FLAVORED BUGS SINCE CHILDHOOD!!!!!!

[@MilkMocha56]

I don't think we eat food made up of it. We use it in furniture tho

[@KelRagnar]

This can’t happen in North America jelly bean factories hopefully

[@carmelitajones7779]

Ronald Reagan never got me into it. Although, I tried it and uhh to know teeth and feet were all on it..🤮

[@sunduszahra]

Enjoyed learning about Shelac ! I had no idea how they’re used in candies and coating fruits to add shelf life and shine .

[@HarryCopperPot]

Never ceases to amaze me how resourceful and ingenious human beings can be, and to think this is something that has been done for thousands of years!

[@GoodVibes-ev4lc]

Indians are not indigenous

[@piedpiper7051]

For the record, shellac has to be dissolved or heated to be used. Alcohol is the usual solvent and would disinfect any pathogens. If you're freaked out by bug excretion take a hard look at vanilla "flavoring" that's in your foods. 😂 Shellac and wax are the most beautiful coatings for wood.

[@EnkiduShamesh]

If you are referring to the beaver's scent glands stuff (castoreum), that rarely ends up in food these days, as there aren't nearly as many beavers as there used to be. Roughly 300 pounds of it gets used a year - a far cry from the 18,000 tons of artificial vanilla derived from petroleum.

[@caveblaster]

@@EnkiduShamesh yeah, and we would need maybe hundreds of thousands (or even more) of beavers every year for them to make up enough castoreum to meet the market requirements

[@iamrobot396]

Also dont look up how honey is made

[@piedpiper7051]

​@@EnkiduShameshI'll take your word on that. You're way more up to snuff on beavers than I.

[@skyworm8006]

@@iamrobot396 most honey is much processed and some have added glucose

[@nannerz1994]

It's kind of exhausting to continually see really unique industries with workers being treated a horribly and paid next to nothing

[@ellaisplotting]

It seems to be the constant regardless of the product being made. They don't even see a fraction of what it sells for.

[@gabbar51ngh]

Small margins. India's laws themselves are unfavourable to small businesses.

[@MINIMAN10000]

The part that got me was hearing that something that is used as a wood finish, pill gloss, candy gloss, fruit wax. The whole industry is worth $167M. That is an absolutely tiny market. An single advanced CPU fabrication facility can cost upwards to $100 billion dollars these days.

[@MadsterV]

@@MINIMAN10000 And that's the answer to the above. A tiny industry with lots of producers and low yields = small profits and sales = low pay for workers. No big conspiracy.

[@CazaDeYork]

There is an exceedingly high probability that this industry looks nothing like this.

[@amalditapilula]

Shellac finish looks great, i am a woodworked and i love finishing wood with it.

[@Rayancodm]

Some things are not meant to be known 😭

[@jueviolegrace8827]

*only in india*

[@heheheldk3201]

@@jueviolegrace8827 ok and. wanna talk about how wine is made or let me guess are you America?

[@DBT1007]

​@@heheheldk3201the thing is, it's more in india 😅❤

[@heheheldk3201]

@@DBT1007 agreed I know it is a problem in india but calling it just an Indian problem* is problematic

[@issstari954]

It's an Indian problem

[@zizimugen4470]

2:30 seriously, how tf did Indians figure out A: that isn’t just part of the tree, B: it does all that it does? The culture is brilliant af

[@madkills10]

When we have nothing to do but play with the sticks and rocks around us, we begin to figure some things out haha Cheese always intrigues me. I guess someone left a bit of milk out in their basement or something and came back to cheese, but who then decided to try the, hard, off-milk substance..

[@zizimugen4470]

@@madkills10 yeah, I’m a geologist, so I see we’ve had plenty of time to hunt, gather, make lethal mistakes, figure out safe stuff… On cheese though, no, you’re wrong. Someone didn’t ~leave~ milk out. Someone saw nipples on a non-human and said “I’m gonna drink that stuff.” Some of it spilled onto the ground, and two weeks later, it was solid. Someone said “this old stuff I was drinking from these non-human nips… That’s going in my mouth too.”

[@madkills10]

@zizimugen4470 That's a good point, milk itself is odd enough! We are a weird bunch. Some scientists couldn't even help themselves taste testing their creations

[@nilnil12345]

@zizimugen4470 when you've so many people, some tend to do weird stuff and accidentally discovers something new

[@JohanSalvattore]

Relax

[@gingeralice3858]

They should have really made it more clear that machines are used to stretch the sheets and stretching by hand was just the traditional method.

[@vz6zo]

Even with the machinery, people were still walking in the product with bare feet. Not much progress, really.

[@aff77141]

It's almost like it's not actually that dirty and people wash their feet more over there. It would be worse with shoes. The traditional method is also still clearly widely used since it makes a big flat sheet instead of shreds, so have fun with that in your mind.

[@CmdrCorn]

It seems like the different grades are treated accordingly. The highest grade gets turned into flakes, the lowest grade into those buttons, and the middle grade intuition the rough 5 foot sheet... At least according to color and how they said it'd be used.

[@ZombieLeo94]

I was a weird kid, i used to peel these off of old furniture cuz its shiny. I knew it was wood varnish but didn't know what it was made out of. Its a weird satisfying feeling.

[@bootstrappingcivilization5862]

hold up hold up... the price has dropped and you are saying that its because climate change and other factors are making it harder to grow... no the price would increase if that was the case because it would be harder to source...

[@Cryotyde]

Climate change is blamed for everything regardless of logic.

[@gnotnats]

Maybe the company spends more money sourcing or using pesticides and so must pay workers less? I agree with u tho

[@purpletoad352]

Not only is it harder to grow and production is down. The price per kilo is also down because there isn't a shortage of supply

[@bootstrappingcivilization5862]

@@purpletoad352 they went and made a point about how it is getting harder to produce, if that is true then there should be a supply shortage. Unless it's use is dropping simultaneously, but that was not mentioned once.

[@broca246]

They have an agenda to push…

[@PrincePryce]

It amazes me how they discovered and found uses from them that we use today.

[@leounsal6895]

High quality content with different perspectives, Business Insider never disappoints.❤

[@billynomates920]

where's your butt pic?

[@Stop.różności]

Especially about climate change. I am sure you are not disappointed. And well vaccinated.😂😂.

[@dracofirex]

@@Stop.różności What on Earth are you going on about...

[@LuminousSpace]

living in denial aren't we@@Stop.różności

[@imahumanbutichosetobeapota5479]

don't mind the idiots,it decreases your Iq@@dracofirex

[@harshalskey]

Super, and very useful information, thank you masum

[@jayadaradhika1408]

Love how people are more concerned that it touched someone's feet or mouth rather than that it is an excretion from a bug. 😂 My interest is more that this is the origin of the Pandavas House of Lac story.

[@vakarthi4]

Exactly! I was just thinking that I had wrong understanding that it was palace of bee wax. But in reality it was probably a palace made with red coloured decorations of lac across the wooden structure that would have easily caught on fire.

[@richardcorsillo9819]

you will eat the bugs

[@lagoozri9568]

honey is excretion from a bug dude

[@bobbykiefer4306]

Some people can be manipulative. Do this, don't do that, eat this, don't eat that.

[@nono-qe2yq]

its still disgusting.

[@bumblelop4942]

I’m just glad candies go through high temperatures before being formed.

[@IndentureTrustee]

chitin doesn't just disappear lmao

[@rooster1012]

Might not want to research how food safe red dye is made in Mexico.🤣🤣🤣

[@squiddyjamzzz]

Still eating bugs

[@XiaoxiaoYuyu-ug3gy]

I do not buy candies make in that country or anything after watching this

[@Why_stop_at_41]

@@XiaoxiaoYuyu-ug3gy bad news for you, candy companies alllllll over the world use the shellac on them, not just in pajeetville

[@PixieLove5]

I knew what shellac was but I had no clue how it was made or processed! How cool!

[@heartysteer8752]

Yeah, everything i'd read through the years never really explained it. This was excellent!

[@OnceDead95]

Terrible hygiene will never eat jellybeans again 😂

[@firmanimad]

6:42 such beautiful luster and color, no wonder people were so obsessed with it.

[@Kmr571-l8y]

Comment something racist or cool , that's what I came for ,

[@Onlyhuman_1]

It takes alot to discover that something like this can be made into something like that.shout out to the person who discovered all this.

[@AshwaniRastogi212]

thats the beauty of India😊

[@trueaussie9230]

The PEOPLE who envisaged the many uses. 😉😊

[@syd5380]

I make maple syrup and I ask myself the same question constantly

[@MarioMastar]

These ancient cultures that still retain what they know are the undisputed leaders of knowing how to make great produces from the parts of nature we don't think about. Most people would see these red bugs and want to spray their whole tree with insecticide, but India took what looks like crusty bird poop and turned it into the most beautiful garmets and even FOOD somehow. All from washing and cooking it a few times. After seeing how much you can polish a turd, we really restrict how much we could recycle everything cause of the smell.

[@FLPhotoCatcher]

@@MarioMastar We in the West do things better. We use fossil oil to make everything from plastic. It makes us fat, unfertile, and diseased, but allows us to afford buying the stuff.

[@richperkins5192]

That is pretty awesome. These are the type of videos that make the internet make sense

[@Muonium1]

Ok but can we talk about how immensely satisfying and beautiful the huge thin shimmering orange crispy sheet crushing step is 6:30 🤩 I want to dive into a pile of it.

[@adriannebodogh2407]

It's like if autumn leaves were made of cellophane lol

[@vbrown6445]

Wow. I just learned something I had no idea about. If you had asked me before where shellac came from, I would not have had a clue. This was so fascinating.

[@ishanabhavsar]

That was so informative 🌷 Thank you business insider

[@PYROWORKSTV]

The US is buying up 25% of Indian shellac produce? Yeah, tarrifs will make things super expensive soon 😂

[@rushabhsalvi8020]

People need to remember how thier wine is produced 😅

[@darthvadeth6290]

disgusting Inda

[@Cat-vs7rc]

not from bugs

[@deadboltzz5199]

Remember for the really expensive wine they must have very long toe nails t0 bring out the flavor 😂

[@akun10years10]

​@@Cat-vs7rcI eat crickets and locust often. u r just weak

[@AWOL401]

There’s a reason we don’t buy wine from India.

[@Tony.Technics.1200s]

Wow, I had zero clue that shellac came from insects, I thought maybe it was an oil byproduct if anything. Very cool.

[@srJaime98]

If only Americans knew how McDonald’s employees prepare their fast food

[@Cat-vs7rc]

each bun they hold in their mouth and put on the pan. then they mouth grind the meat and spit it into a patty.

[@refundreplay]

#15. Burger King Foot Fungus.

[@a2g793]

If only people knew how indian street food is made

[@almogxchq5282]

@@a2g793 Y'all are so broke you can't afford even the cheap restaurants in India or what? You decide to go to the dirty street vendors for the cheap food that's on you. There are many good street food areas where people care about their business and do perform extensive hygiene to keep it going. Tell me you don't have the money to afford decent food or the brains to find it without telling it to me directly lmao

[@AnimeCritical]

​@@a2g793They can see it being made in front of them. It is literally street food. 😂😂

[@DeezNootz-p7c]

Looks like a very clean and sanitary factory...

[@SidcupRC]

Thanks for educating us. Much appreciated!

[@techshabby0001]

I've used shellac on wood projects so I was surprised to see it mentioned on the outside of an crate of apples at the grocery store. It said may be coated with wax or shellac.

[@BloodwyrmWildheart]

Apples are also artificially dyed as well. Completely unnecessary.

[@GardaOrban]

to be clear, it does get refined to a purer state than that hand-stretched orange sheet for various uses including the food kind, and for thatpurpose it gets either heated to a high enough

[@techshabby0001]

@@BloodwyrmWildheart imagine if people who never had a garden or haven't seen food beyond the grocery store, had to eat natural color food right off the tree or right out of the ground. Pick off little bugs, the dirt, cut away the bad parts or the bug eaten area where a bug may or may not be living. The imperfect shapes, uneven ripening. I used to have super old (100 yrs or more) strawberry plants opin my garden that I was gifted from the garden of a very old, very lovely woman. The berries were small and misshapen, what some would call ugly I suppose, but wow, talk about bursting with strawberry flavor! They were so sweet and tasted like.. strawberries. Yummy! She also gave me cuttings from a wild rose bush. Same situation, flowers too small, pale, and too loosely formed but with the most amazing scent ever. 🌸

[@Demetra-nw2fr]

Whats getting me is the way its being dragged all over the floor with dirt on it, it being in people's mouths stretching it, being walked on, and sat on and this is after is been cleaned.

[@justkorbii3180]

Lmao

[@KelRagnar]

I don’t think this is the one that they use in food it would never be allowed.

[@victorarregnelle8976]

I worked at a cake factory for 1 day. I never thought there would be flies all over them. Everybody cool about it too.

[@JJ-FRASER-]

Don’t expect anything else from backward living people tbh! It’s just nasty as f k the way their feet and mouth just need to eve involved in everything, and I mean everything they do this with food (bread is stuck inside furnaces with saliva) they stand all over their produce with shitty feet mixing the produce like they don’t have a Harley care in the world lol.. shocking tbh

[@mikedhiman]

We indian didn't know that you western will use our shellak on candy and cakes. Its original purpose was to protect wood and painting 🎨🖌️.

[@kifacorea]

Business insider is knocking it out of the park with these short docs

[@XAndrew88]

I love videos like this.. So much knowledge

[@staggerleesmancave8987]

Thank you for this interesting video! I can now add shellac to the interesting large scale insect products that I know of which previously only included honey, silk, and carmine! -SLMC 🔥

[@spaceorbison]

Whimsical music and narration taking away from the drudgery of this

[@GaH.Hassan]

Didn't get through the video for exactly this reason

[@Alan78941]

Wait, I eat jelly beans so that means I have been eating bug goo??? 😭😭😭

[@AlexD5241]

So cool! Something I've never thought about! And didnt know is was used for records before vinyl.

[@chedderbug2820]

Respect for that very hard working woman! I truly enjoy videos like this one that teach and inform me of things new to me. 👍🏼

[@ahkira1041]

This is easily one of the most informative and well done videos I have seen this year on this site, so far. Well done, excellent job.

[@Stop.różności]

Really? Don’t forget that you just were reassured about CLIMATE CHANGE 😮😂😅Subliminal propaganda for mentally weaker, fully vac…cinated.

[@troydanielboy]

I'm 59, and I've learned something today. This is fascinating. The labor hours involved in this process in order to produce this product are through the roof. I knew it had something to do with beetle excretion, but that's it. Wow. "If you don't know, now you know,.....". Biggie

[@GhostsOfTheAngelcynn]

Going to show this my six year old. He'll soon stop wanting to go to the shop for sweets.

[@Pink_Floyd-ll8lq]

Perfect idea. Maybe show him factory farms too

[@ZeSpaceWolf]

And what if he ends up wanting it more?

[@toddoroi4947]

Now I understand why shellac is so expensive, it's used to seal the inside of glazing rebates in timber windows if you don't paint them before you glaze; stops the oil from the putty penetrating the wood. Finished shellac chips are about $40-50/kg in Australia

[@Plxusible]

Well, you’re also in Australia so everything is more expensive there shipping costs and 😂😂tarrif/import taxes

[@EpicBunty]

Thats an insane story. Loved it. Liked how we are able to do so much just from 1 one of ingredients that we have been harvesting naturally. Ive seen these kinds of trees everywhere, used to think they are just infected or something!

[@fu8713]

People say there’s no jobs or just don’t want to work and here’s Hoodlin out in the hot Indian desert climbing trees scraping bugs and starts farming Ducks rice and vegetables 😳😳 😂😂🫡🫡 And all with a big happy smile 😃👍

[@juanser.b97]

Amazing working conditions and fair practices. Loved the upbeat music while saying "in the summer, it can get to 113 degrees in this factory". I hope the shareholders are having a beautiful day.

[@davidgraham2673]

I'm certain they are having a good day, just as the farmers are also having a good day.

[@doubleoblit]

@@davidgraham2673 are you sure that the farmers are having a good day as a coping mechanism?

[@vsznry]

US Regulatory agencies are shaking watching this video lolol

[@iamrobot396]

Literally says its automated now.

[@jarjarbinks3193]

This is a raw material. Food-grade shellac involves further processing and refinement which would get rid of any pathogens. Top-quality sausages use pig intestines! Pig intestines are considered a delicacy in the southern US. Pig's excrement is far worse in terms of pathogen content.

[@filonin2]

@@iamrobot396 The drying process of spreading it out on the ground and sweeping it up isn't automated; the shoving it in a sock and twisting it next to a fire is automated.

[@Stop.różności]

No worries. They do their job😂. Don’t forget that you just were reassured about CLIMATE CHANGE 😮😂😅Subliminal propaganda for mentally weaker, fully vac…cinated.

[@custos3249]

Nah, you should be for the level of allowable roach carcasses and mouse feces in everything you consume.