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Energy Drinks (Red Bull, Etc.): ULs & Folklore

aussiehippy

Gone But Not Forgotten
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My girlfriend came back from work today to tell me that one of her collleagues has advised her not to drink Red Bull if she is vegetarian, as it contains taurine, which is extracted from bull's testicles!

Anybody have any idea where that one came from?
 
It was discovered in and can be extracted from Ox (amoung other animals) digestive fluids. To the best of my knowlege it can be extracted without killing the animal and can also be made synthetically.

If Redbull claim their drink is ok for veggies then they must source the Taurine synthetically or they are breaking the law and would have been done for this ages ago. I know some veggies and they would never let something like this go uninvestigated.

Cats need it in their diet so feed your cat a can a day (joking)

[edit]

Just checked the Redbull.com FAQ and they state clearly that their taurine is made in a lab.
 
Chriswsm said:
Cats need it in their diet so feed your cat a can a day (joking)

Unfortunately the caffeine content could finish off your moggie... :cry:
 
Timble said:
Unfortunately the caffeine content could finish off your moggie... :cry:

Or could just make it feel really on edge

Shocked%20Cat.gif
 
my cat sometimes sneakily dips his paw in my coffee, and gets a little happy for a while.
 
I hope you don't finish off the coffee after he's done that!
 
I think this is on topic:

I was recently reading a review of a book called (I think) "The pig that wants to be eaten", which is a collection of philosophical thought experiments. The title comes from one of these: if a pig was genetically engineered to really, really want to be eaten by humans, should vegetarians refuse to eat it?

The point being, that this would in no way be cruel to the pig, which would achieve its greatest desire in becoming food for humans, so any vegetarian refusing to eat it would perhaps merely be being self indulgent.

(Fans of H2G2 won't need me to point out the likely origin of this idea!)

As with all philosphy, there are no right or wrong answers. These experiments are a way of helping us to understand our thought-processes and built in prejudices.

Edit: Amazon
 
Some interesting info there! I always just assumed the taurine was synthesised (I'm vegetarian myself as well), and likewise, I'm fairly sure there are some militant veggies out there who would have caused a major fuss if Red Bull was found to be misleading the public.

I just wonder where my gf's colleague got the idea that it came from testicles....
 
aussiehippy said:
I'm fairly sure there are some militant veggies out there who would have caused a major fuss if Red Bull was found to be misleading the public.

Trust me I know some of these militants. If they were dishonest about sourcing their taurine they would feel the wrath of my pal Linda and that is not a pretty sight.
 
Haha!

I know a couple myself...

I like to count myself as a laid-back vegetarian. Basically, everyone else can do what they want, I know I'm right!
 
I find it interesting that the urban legend is telling vegetarians not to drink Red Bull on account of the taurine being allegedly extracted from bulls' testicles. Who would want to drink something made of testicles??!

rynner said:
I think this is on topic:

I was recently reading a review of a book called (I think) "The pig that wants to be eaten", which is a collection of philosophical thought experiments. The title comes from one of these: if a pig was genetically engineered to really, really want to be eaten by humans, should vegetarians refuse to eat it?

The point being, that this would in no way be cruel to the pig, which would achieve its greatest desire in becoming food for humans, so any vegetarian refusing to eat it would perhaps merely be being self indulgent.

Well it's not my job to eat suicidal pigs just to fulfil their desires, just as it's not my job to murder people who want to die.

I would refuse to eat it partly for exactly the same reason that I would refuse to help somebody (terminal illnesses excepted) commit suicide - because I think it's a terrible idea - and partly because as a vegetarian, I'm conditioned to find the idea of eating meat revolting (this is also why I wouldn't eat any sort of artificial meat, like that described here).
 
fluffle said:
I find it interesting that the urban legend is telling vegetarians not to drink Red Bull on account of the taurine being allegedly extracted from bulls' testicles. Who would want to drink something made of testicles??!

The French?
 
aussiehippy said:
fluffle said:
I find it interesting that the urban legend is telling vegetarians not to drink Red Bull on account of the taurine being allegedly extracted from bulls' testicles. Who would want to drink something made of testicles??!

The French?

Ah yes, the French.
 
a few innocent looking drinks arent suitable for vegeterians, Guinness used to use part of a fish i seem to remember for fining the beer, I wonder if they still do?

Also there where rumours that certain pubs werent allowed to serve red bull mixed with certain alcoholic drinks, i cant remember which ones im afraid, i didnt pay attention as it sounded rather silly :)
 
Or...
Isinglass
Isinglass is a very pure transparent gelatin obtained from the swimbladder of certain fish, especially sturgeon. It was used for making jellies and especially as a fining agent to clarify wine. It has been replaced by animal gelatin.

http://www.foodreference.com/html/fisinglass.html

Also
isinglass
Related: Home Economics

(ī´zenglăs&180;) , gelatinous semitransparent substance obtained by cleaning and drying the air bladders of the sturgeon, cod, hake, and other fishes. Isinglass is manufactured in Russia, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, the West Indies, and the Philippines. It is used in the clarification of wines and beers, as a stiffening for jellies, in court plaster, and in glues and cements. The name isinglass is also commonly applied to thin sheets of mica and sometimes to a gelatinous substance obtained from certain seaweeds.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/i1/isinglas.asp

So it seems vegetarians have real problems!

They can't drink wine or beer, eat jelly, or live in any kind of building which uses plaster, glue, or cement in its construction!
 
I've always wondered... why is it acceptable for vegetarians to eat/drink something that originally came from an animal but is now just a chemical; a chemical compound that must have been tested on animals to be allowed to be used in food?

Jane.
 
We've had this beer discussion before. Not all beers and wines use isinglass (and not all vegetarians care). I'm a bit dubious as to the isinglass content in cement - how many fish would you have to mash up to get enough to make any difference in the amount of cement you're going to use in a building?


mejane said:
I've always wondered... why is it acceptable for vegetarians to eat/drink something that originally came from an animal but is now just a chemical; a chemical compound that must have been tested on animals to be allowed to be used in food?

Jane.

It is acceptable if the individual believes it to be acceptable. There is no universal vegetarian "code of conduct", which is why you get on the one hand some vegetarians who wear leather shoes, and some who eat jelly, and some who will eat cheese made with animal rennet, and on the other hand some who won't eat dairy and some who will only eat cane sugar if they can be assured that it wasn't refined using fires made with charcoal made from animal bones.

Maybe vegetarians like you describe aren't terribly bothered about animal testing, or maybe they don't mind using something which has been tested on animals in the past, provided that none of their money is going to the people who did the testing, or maybe they eat food containing the chemical because they like it too much and feel bad about it at the same time.
 
In my own experience as a veggie, it's hard to know exactly what does contain anything derived from animals, and looking too closely into it means that you shouldn't eat/drink all sorts of things.... so nuts to it.

I have my own code, which doesn't really have any rules!

I don't eat meat or fish at all.
I purposefully don't read the packets of anything that might possibly contain gelatine, coz I don't want to know.
I wear a leather jacket and shoes.

So I guess I'm not a real veggie. Just a pretend one!
 
aussiehippy said:
I just wonder where my gf's colleague got the idea that it came from testicles....
I know someone who claims that the Red Bull (and other energy drinks) he buys from Chinatown in Melbourne is the 'real stuff' and more effective because it is made with taurine from bull's testicles, while the western versions use the synthetic stuff. However he might have just been saying this to get a rumour started, in which case it worked!
 
Mmmmmmmmmm. I used to like drinking Coopers when I was living in Oz, so it's good to hear it's bona fide veggie!

Can't really see that Red Bull would bother using taurine extraction rather than synthesis for other foreign markets.... surely it would be cheaper to synthesise when you already have the technology?
 
Not sure if this adds to the overall mass-debate (oo-er missus) but I know in Asia you can buy small, brown glass medicine bottles of a sickly sweet substance which has the red bull design of two bulls facing each other.

It is supposed to be the original red bull, not carbonated and a lot thicker than our stuff. A guest at a hotel I used to work in had some and gave me a taste. It was very thick, very sweet and certainly perked me up a little but I wouldn't say that I was up dancing all night long.

Don't know if it was made from bulls testicles but if it was it wasn't very many as the bottle was very small. ;)
 
Eek, not sure I'd fancy drinking something that looks like a black magic potion... I guess even if it is some 'traditional' taurine, it won't have come from the bulls balls.

Surely in that case it would be a milky colour? :tongue:

Sorry...
 
I wouldn't like a job in that factory. Rows and rows of expectant bulls lined up in a dark shed.

-Alright, Perkins. Take these tiny glass bottles and fill to the brim with bull essence

-How do I do that sir?

-Use your imagination boy, now look lively!
 
I imagine they would find it hard to recruit... but saying that, If Rebecca Loos can't find a reality TV show to be on this year then she would at least have some relevant experience.

I wonder if she puts that on her CV? :?
 
I believe (could be wrong) that taurine is the thing found in cheese that comes from cow's stomachs making it so that vegetarians (not vegans) shouldn't eat chease unless it's specifically taurine-free because they have to kill the cows to get it (this is, of course, assuming that the person is a vegetarian for reasons of animal rights).

They can't drink wine or beer, eat jelly, or live in any kind of building which uses plaster, glue, or cement in its construction!

Jelly? You mean the mushed up fruit with sugar? :? Also, not all glue comes from dead animals. Only certain kinds.
 
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