The Gross Ingredients Hiding In Your Tortilla

There are many things in life that we all wish we didn't know, and the ingredients in flour tortilla wraps are one of those things. We love margaritas and Taco Tuesday as much as the next person, in fact, probably a lot more. But after learning what's hiding in those wrap-filled tacos, you may love them a little less — margaritas, withstanding. 

In this case, the tortillas we're referring to here are the 10-inch white wraps, like the kind you may be used to ordering with turkey, ham, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes for lunch at your local deli. Thought to be healthier and more nutritious than sandwich bread, tortilla wraps actually have 35 grams of carbs in each wrap, according to Eat This, Not That!

But, we haven't clued you in on the gross part yet. If you take a quick glance at the nutrition label of a tortilla wrap, you will see that it contains up to 200 calories and certain chemicals, per Carb Manager. Well, those chemicals contain surprising ingredients that may shock you and have you canceling your plans on Tuesdays.

Turns out, white tortilla wraps contain a chemical additive called L-cysteine that is used as a "dough conditioner," per Eat This, Not That! The dough conditioner is made from actual hair and feathers. Yes, you read that correctly. It's commonly used in baking and, specifically, improves the consistency of the tortilla dough (via Webstrauant Store) and other breaded products. 

According to The Guardian, human hair contains amino acids, including L-cysteine, that prolong the shelf-life of products like commercial bread. The amino acid can also be found in chicken feathers and cow horns, but those are less common when it comes to human food. The Guardian reports that most of the hair utilized to create L-cysteine comes from Chinese barbershops. Yum.

Now that you know some foods contain surprising ingredients that'll have you rethinking what you eat, here's a tip on how to avoid this amino acid. Fresh bread from local bakers normally doesn't have L-cysteine as an additive in flour. However, fast-food chains like McDonald's, Dunkin', and Burger King are notorious for including this ingredient in their rolls, garlic bread, and, even apple pies (via Eat This, Not That!). If you can't wrap your head around certain pieces of bread containing human hair and poultry feathers, maybe avoid those restaurants and make your bread, pies, and tortilla wraps from scratch instead.