0:00:02 > 0:00:04From the clothes we wear to the cars we drive,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08from what we use to look good to what we use to relax...
0:00:08 > 0:00:11- THEY SHOUT - ..our lives are full of products,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14and our products are full of animals.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22In the past few years, I've learned a lot about how the meat we eat
0:00:22 > 0:00:25reaches our plates. But I've always wondered what happens
0:00:25 > 0:00:28to the bits of the animal that we don't eat.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32It turns out these leftover parts are made into things we use every day...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35That's a symbolic noise for, like, leather.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38..as well as some things you couldn't even imagine.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Oh, my God!
0:00:42 > 0:00:44My face is on fire!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I've never, ever smelled anything like that.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53'To find out how, I'm going on extraordinary journey
0:00:53 > 0:00:56'to see these raw animal parts transformed into shiny new products.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01'And I'm going to be joined by the people who use them to see what they make of it.'
0:01:01 > 0:01:04- Sheep need to get slaughtered. - Will we be in the room?
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Oh, my God!
0:01:08 > 0:01:10HE GROANS
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Mine had a testicle on it!
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Oh, don't film me being sick!
0:01:14 > 0:01:19'We'll be going behind the doors of unknown companies and into hidden worlds...'
0:01:19 > 0:01:23That is such a weird vision! Just skin hanging there.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27This is when we see what's inside the chest.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29'..getting hands-on...'
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I don't think that's going to go in there.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36'..and discovering what makes these animal leftovers indispensable.'
0:01:36 > 0:01:38- I can't even look at it! - What am I doing here with these?
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Could knowing that so many of our favourite items
0:01:41 > 0:01:46contain animals change the way we feel about them forever?
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Tonight I'm looking at fish and seafood.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Whether it's cod and chips or salmon sashimi,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00by the time our delicious seafood dishes have reached our plates,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05there's a trail of leftovers that some clever companies can turn into products.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10The heads, guts and bones of the fish we eat
0:02:10 > 0:02:14end up in all sorts of things - perfume, hairspray, even beer.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17I want to know how they get in there and what they're doing in there.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21- THEY SHOUT - That is really disgusting.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25- Ugh!- Don't like it, then? - No, not at all.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29To find out, I'll get hands-on around the fishing hubs of Europe...
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Ugh! I got a bit of fish juice in my mouth then.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34..visiting manufacturers and factories
0:02:34 > 0:02:36to find out how they turn our fishy leftovers
0:02:36 > 0:02:41- into some of our favourite items. - Oh, my God! It's a fish!
0:02:46 > 0:02:49I've heard a lot of hair products contain fish by-products,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51so I'm starting my journey in Iceland,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54one of the UK's major fish suppliers.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00'I'm travelling to a town called Siglufjordur,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02'25 miles outside the Arctic Circle,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05'to find out more. But I'm not doing this alone.'
0:03:10 > 0:03:15'I'm Emily. I work in the beauty department of a London store.'
0:03:15 > 0:03:19'I'm Rachel. I work as a model.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23'Emily and I have been best friends since the start of secondary school.'
0:03:24 > 0:03:27We both do take pride in our appearance.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29We spend a lot of time doing each other's hair,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33make-up. I think society's got to a point now
0:03:33 > 0:03:36where it reaches everything. You have to look good.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Try that on. It's really pretty.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- I really like it. - Hair is a big part of that.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I think it's probably one of the first things you look at
0:03:45 > 0:03:48when you see somebody, is their hair and what it's like.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52For these girls, keeping up appearances means one thing -
0:03:52 > 0:03:54products.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Every other day I wash my hair, putting shampoo and conditioner in it.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07- 'Then volumising mousse.' - Then I have a hair serum
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- for the ends of my hair. - I would put a heat-defencing spray,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13- protect it from the blow-dry. - A curl-boosting mousse,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17a fabricator spray, which basically volumises the roots.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20After that, cover it with hairspray,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23and I'd reapply it several times during the day.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- And I thought - I- was high-maintenance!
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- That's really nice.- Good. - Really nice and soft.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31But how much do they know about what's in their products?
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I do think about what goes into the products,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38but a lot of the time I don't understand what's written on the back of packets.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42You get to a stage where you don't know what you're putting on.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46So is there any ingredient that could put these girls off
0:04:46 > 0:04:48their beloved products?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51I've been vegetarian for about 20 years.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55If I found out that my favourite hair product
0:04:55 > 0:04:57was animal-tested,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00or contained any raw animal product,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05blubber or...I don't know, some fish oils or something like that,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09I would be so upset. Really upset.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16From North London to the North Pole -
0:05:16 > 0:05:19well, not quite the North Pole, but it's near enough.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25These girls are about to join me for a journey
0:05:25 > 0:05:28that could change their beauty regime forever.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32There's a fish by-product called chitosan,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35used in some hair products, that increases hold
0:05:35 > 0:05:38without making the hair stiff.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42We're meeting Bjorn Valdimarsson, from fishing company Rammi,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45to find out exactly how seafood ends up in hairspray.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- Hello, hello! Nice to see you! - Hello.- Nice to see you!
0:05:49 > 0:05:52- Right, say hello to Bjorn. - Hello. Welcome.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you. - Welcome to Iceland.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- Thank you.- This is the first time? - It is, absolutely.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Any idea why you're here?
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- No.- No.- There's a smell of fish at the moment.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- Got the smell?- Got the smell.- OK.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Have you heard of a product called chitosan?
0:06:09 > 0:06:11- No.- No.- No, we haven't.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16- Chitosan is found in hair products. - Right. I've never heard of it.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18- What is it, Bjorn? - Well, I will not tell you now.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20First we will go to this boat, out to sea,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23and afterwards you will find out what it is.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Ah, we're going on the boat! It'll be an adventure. Come on, girls.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37The trawler we're using can hold 20 tons of fish.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41It goes out in treacherous seas for five to six days,
0:06:41 > 0:06:45fishing deep in the Arctic Circle, where the water is purer.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- Ever been fishing before?- Never.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52- Rachel?- I'm vegetarian, so I definitely don't go fishing.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54This is a tough job,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57in cramped conditions and freezing temperatures.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02- How do you feel about this, then? - Um, a bit nervous.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- What have fish got to do with hair products? It's going to be quite interesting.- Yeah.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09We're not going out as far as the fishermen normally do,
0:07:09 > 0:07:14but even these relatively calm waters will test our sea legs.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18- I'm feeling really seasick. - OK. All right.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22- Genuinely a bit worried. Going to throw up.- Oh, no.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- Are you OK? - Oh, don't film me being sick!
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- Are you feeling seasick? - A little bit.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33A little bit. Actually a lot. Oh, dear. Dear, dear.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- Em, you not feeling well, lovely? - I'm not feeling very well.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- Oh, poor thing! - It's the boat rocking up and down.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- It's quite motiony.- I'm fine when I'm looking at the horizon.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48- OK. Keep looking, then. - How you doing?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- Yeah, I'm all right.- You coping?
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- I'm coping at the moment.- Yeah.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58'I'm not letting a touch of nautical nausea hinder my mission.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02'Unfortunately, ladies, you're going to have to suck it up.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04'Well, not literally, though.'
0:08:05 > 0:08:07What are we fishing for today?
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- Today we're fishing prawns.- Prawns?
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Because you were asking about chitosan,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17and the answer to that question is in the prawns.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20- So chitosan comes from prawns?- Yeah.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23'Finally we have the first piece of the hair-product puzzle.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27'Chitosan, which is a key ingredient of hairspray, comes from prawns.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31'But I'm still not exactly sure how it ends up there.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35'Below deck, a haul of prawns is dumped onto a conveyor belt,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39'which the girls and I have to sort from other fish in the catch.'
0:08:39 > 0:08:41- It's in here.- All right.- OK.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Oh, my God!
0:08:43 > 0:08:45'Each haul is about two tons,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48'and takes around eight hours to sift through.'
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- Hurry, hurry!- There you go. Catch!
0:08:50 > 0:08:54'Owner Gustaf insists we work at the speed his crew normally work at,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57'pulling out the unwanted fish, which, according to Bjorn,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59'are sold at the local market.'
0:08:59 > 0:09:02- Oh! It's so... - You use lots of hair products.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07I did not realise they were using prawn in my hair.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11- I am never eating fish again. - You're never eating fish again?
0:09:11 > 0:09:13- No.- I am never using hair products again.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16You're saying that's... Over there, over there.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20- Got one, got one, got one. - You're absolutely sure about that?
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- This is going on my hair. - But we don't know how yet.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27That is true, but...
0:09:28 > 0:09:31- Oh, look. Roe.- What's that?
0:09:31 > 0:09:35- That's the eggs.- I really hope it's not the eggs that go into my hair.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38How are you feeling about hair products now, then?
0:09:39 > 0:09:42I really don't know how I feel about hair products.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47I guess if it was maybe, like, fish oils, or...
0:09:47 > 0:09:51that seems logical to go into a product,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55but prawns - that didn't even cross my mind.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59That's exactly what it is. I still haven't got it in my mind's eye...
0:09:59 > 0:10:01- No.- ..what this product is,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and how it makes its way into hair stuff.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07- OK!- Thank you.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10'At this stage there's still no obvious link to hairspray,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13'so we follow the trail to the prawn factory.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20'Here our catch is boiled to prepare for processing.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23'It's just a small part of the four and a half million prawns
0:10:23 > 0:10:25'processed here every day.'
0:10:25 > 0:10:28- MACHINERY ROARING - So, what's going on here, Bjorn?
0:10:28 > 0:10:32- This is the prawn-peeling plant. - Prawn peeling?
0:10:32 > 0:10:37And here we peel and clean and freeze and pack the prawns.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Where do they go, the majority of these?
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Most of these go to the UK, to England,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47so if you buy a prawn sandwich when you go back home...
0:10:47 > 0:10:51It probably came out of here. Now I know the history of the prawn.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- Where does the chitosan come from? Which bit?- From the shells.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58It is from the shells? Ah!
0:11:00 > 0:11:04These are the peelers. The peelers take the shell from the prawns.
0:11:04 > 0:11:09So the machine does it all? The machine takes the shell off?
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Yes. It takes all the shells from the prawn.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- Separates the meat and the rest of it?- Yeah.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18From here, the prawns are checked by an ultraviolet machine
0:11:18 > 0:11:22for any remaining shell, before being frozen, packed
0:11:22 > 0:11:25and sent to Britain.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33But we're more interested in the stuff that's falling under the machines.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40What looks like waste, the antennae, the legs, the shells,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43is in fact a key ingredient in the global beauty industry.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51They're all still just shells. How does it become this product?
0:11:51 > 0:11:54That is the next part of the story.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57We have to go next door to another factory,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59and I will show you that.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04Chitosan comes from chitin, which is the major component of a prawn shell.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08It's the chitin that gives the shell its toughness and durability,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10so it can protect the soft tissues of the prawn.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Although the value of chitosan as by-product has been known for years,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17the lack of manufacturing facilities in the town
0:12:17 > 0:12:20have meant the shells were simply dumped into the sea.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24In 1999, that changed. After three years of research,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26the company Primex developed the ability
0:12:26 > 0:12:30to turn raw shells into chitosan on an industrial scale.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44- THEY SHOUT - That is really disgusting.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48Each one of these trucks contains 13 tons of shells,
0:12:48 > 0:12:53which will be processed into 250 kilos of chitosan.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55I'm not putting that in my hair.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57'Chances are you already have.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00'We ask the company's Segovic Valsdottir
0:13:00 > 0:13:02'if we can get hands-on.'
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- Can we have a go with the... - Oh, yes. Of course you can.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- Come on!- Let's go.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10We're in it! Let's do it!
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Why use the hose? Why so much water?
0:13:13 > 0:13:16It's necessary for the prawn, for cleaning them,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20and also to throw them up to the tanks
0:13:20 > 0:13:22for the pressure.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- They look like prawn soup. - It really does.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27It doesn't look very appetising.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32Nothing at the moment that I want to put on my hair either.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36'Having followed the prawn from the ocean,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'we finally get to see the first major transformation.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43'After we hose them down, the shells are mixed with hydrochloric acid
0:13:43 > 0:13:46'to remove the calcium, and then mixed with sodium hydroxide
0:13:46 > 0:13:48'which is commonly known as caustic soda,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51'to remove protein and colour.'
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Weird!
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Oh! It's like little particles of plastic.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00'According to Primex, removing protein lowers the risk
0:14:00 > 0:14:02'of allergic reactions to shellfish.'
0:14:04 > 0:14:08It doesn't look like a shell or a meat, or...
0:14:08 > 0:14:10It smells of nothing.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13'From here on in, the transformations are quicker
0:14:13 > 0:14:15'and more dramatic.'
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Let me see the chitin. Oh, wow!
0:14:18 > 0:14:21'The white sludge is pressed and dried into chitin.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26'This sawdust-like material is what gives shells their strength.'
0:14:26 > 0:14:30- It's not still chitosan. - Still not?- No.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35Now the next stage will be to convert into chitosan.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40- This is the lab. Go on.- Thank you.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43'So, from factory floor to the science lab,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46'and chitosan expert Dr Einar Matthiasson.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48'Finally we get to see some chitosan.'
0:14:48 > 0:14:52- So here you have it! - Yeah. Here we have it.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54This we've seen before. This is like a sawdust.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- This is it, yeah. The chitin. - But this is finally chitosan?
0:14:58 > 0:15:02- This is the final product. - So it's been ground down.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- So it's processed into a powder? - Yeah.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08So, simply, in as non-scientific a way as you can,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10tell me what this product is.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Basically this is a long-chain biopolymer.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16- SHE LAUGHS - See, I said make it simple.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18- A long-chain... - Biopolymer.- Biopolymer.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21How does it work in a hair product, a hairspray?
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- What does it do? - It increases shininess
0:15:24 > 0:15:28and gloss of the product. It increases volume.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31It prevents split ends of hair,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34also can moisturise it as well, and so on.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38So when you look at a hair product, why on the label doesn't it say
0:15:38 > 0:15:42that this is derived from an animal, it's an animal product?
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Because we didn't know what chitosan was.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48You'd look at that, and you'd never think that was an animal.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51It's mainly because this is a well known raw material
0:15:51 > 0:15:55to industry, and they don't have to say exactly where it comes from.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- And do you only find chitosan in prawns?- No.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01No. You find it in fungi and mushrooms.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04And you mostly supply the hair industry with chitosan,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- so the chances are it's prawn-derived chitosan.- Yeah.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Can you answer this question? Here you've got this powder.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14How does it become the hair product?
0:16:14 > 0:16:16I think you have to ask the manufacturer
0:16:16 > 0:16:20who's buying this from us, because he has all the secrets.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Ah, so this scientist isn't revealing!
0:16:22 > 0:16:25So we haven't quite finished our journey.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29This eye-opening journey feels like it's finally reaching conclusion.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32It's amazing to follow a process like this.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36And now for the final step - the product.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42It's a surprisingly simple process when you know how.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45The basic ingredients for making hairspray
0:16:45 > 0:16:47are chitosan, water,
0:16:47 > 0:16:51citric acid and ethanol.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54The first step is to add chitosan to water.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Citric acid helps the chitosan to dissolve
0:16:58 > 0:17:00and make a thick solution,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03which when mixed further becomes a gel.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Ethanol is then mixed into the gel.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Ethanol makes the gel dry quicker when applied to the hair.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14Once dry, it hardens, holding the hair in any style you like -
0:17:14 > 0:17:16just not that one.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Making hairspray follows the same process,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21but more water and ethanol are added,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24to make a more diluted solution which can then be sprayed.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27The other ingredients added by manufacturers
0:17:27 > 0:17:30are the perfumes, colours and preservatives.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31And there you have it.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Prawns...
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Hairspray.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41As well as making our hair funky, chitosan has some amazing properties
0:17:42 > 0:17:47that have led to the development of new wound-healing creams and diet pills.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Not so long ago we were out there fishing for prawns.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56I don't have an issue, because I eat the prawns,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00so that for me is fine. The fact that the shell is used in this way,
0:18:00 > 0:18:03is this miracle product, think is fantastic. Vegetarian -
0:18:03 > 0:18:06moral dilemma. What will you do about your hair product?
0:18:06 > 0:18:09For ethical reasons, now I know it has come from a creature,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I'm going to go home and check all my products,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16and any ones that do contain... contain the ingredient,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19I think will be chucked out. I couldn't use it.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21I'd imagine the prawns on my hair otherwise.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25- I just have a newfound respect for the humble prawn.- Yeah!
0:18:30 > 0:18:32'If Rachel was freaked out by prawns in hairspray,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36'I wonder how she'd feel about whales in perfume.'
0:18:41 > 0:18:44That's why I'm really interested in ambergris.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47I know it's a substance that comes from whales,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and I know it's been prized in the perfume industry for centuries.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55But I don't know exactly what it is, and I don't know if it's still used today.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Where once an A-list film star may have endorsed a perfume,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01nowadays even WAGs are releasing their own ranges.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08The latest figures show UK retailers sold over £1 billion of perfume,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10up nearly nine percent on the previous year.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14I wonder how many people know their perfumes may contain
0:19:14 > 0:19:17something that comes from a whale.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- Whale.- Ugh!- Whale.- Whoa!
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- I definitely didn't know that. - What do you think of that?
0:19:24 > 0:19:26- Badly shocked.- Don't buy it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30I'll never be able to use perfume again.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38'Now, I had the same reaction when I found out about ambergris.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41'Whales aren't fish. They're mammals,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44'and hunting them is cruel, unethical and unacceptable.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49'I love my perfumes, but...'
0:19:49 > 0:19:53If it's got "whale" on the label, for me, it's a big, fat, non-negotiable "no".
0:19:53 > 0:19:55No. No.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59I'm aware that ambergris has a real mystique around it.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Medieval mariners called it "floating gold".
0:20:02 > 0:20:05The ancient Chinese called it "dragon spittle".
0:20:05 > 0:20:09'But commercial whale-hunting has been illegal for quarter of a century,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13'so the first thing to find out is if ambergris is still being used.'
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Perfume recipes are closely guarded secrets.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21So will I be able to get a top perfumier to share some with me
0:20:21 > 0:20:24if I'm really nice?
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Floris perfumier on London's Jermyn Street
0:20:29 > 0:20:32has a client list stretching back to the year 1730.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35It made perfumes for kings and queens,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38prime ministers, movie stars - even Ian Fleming,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40the creator of James Bond.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46'I'm hoping to apply some 007-style charm
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'on head perfume designer Shelagh Foyle,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51'to see if she'll reveal the company secrets,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55'starting with the use of animal parts.'
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Are animal parts or by-products used in perfumes these days?
0:20:58 > 0:21:01We used to obtain musk from the musk pods
0:21:01 > 0:21:03which were removed from the deer.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06I believe it's their scent-marking glands.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10In times gone by, they were worth more than their weight in gold.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'But to remove the pod, you need a dead deer.'
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- From castoreum...- What's castoreum? - It came from beaver.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21We've used ingredients from civet cat,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25and to obtain that, the cat is irritated
0:21:25 > 0:21:30by often poking it with sticks or some other process,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and then it's milked.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34So would it be fair to say it's frowned upon
0:21:34 > 0:21:37to use any real animal part or animal product
0:21:37 > 0:21:38today in the perfume industry?
0:21:38 > 0:21:42We use the manmade, synthetic alternatives.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45We just don't want to use anything that causes harm.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48But is it used to your knowledge?
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Would anything from an animal be used?
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Not necessarily something that would harm the animal.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58The only natural ingredient that is probably still used
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- may be ambergris.- It's funny you should mention ambergris,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04because that's what I'm on a mission to find out about.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06I know it's something to do with whales,
0:22:06 > 0:22:11which I'm not happy about at all. You obviously don't use it.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- We don't use it, no. - Do you know where I can get any,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17- where I can see some, smell some? - What - natural ambergris?- Yeah.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- I've no idea.- Tricky, then?
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- Yeah.- Very tricky.- Yeah.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30'Now, if animal parts from deer, beavers and cats
0:22:30 > 0:22:33'are no longer used to make us smell good,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35'why are whale parts still used?
0:22:35 > 0:22:38'I think I'll need to get my hands on some actual ambergris
0:22:38 > 0:22:40'to find out.'
0:22:42 > 0:22:44'After a bit more research, I found a perfume place
0:22:44 > 0:22:48'called Le Labo. Packaged in a contemporary style,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52'this shop sells 13 fragrances, which are prepared in front of the customer
0:22:52 > 0:22:55'and personalised with a printed name tag.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59'I've heard they might have some ambergris products,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02'and I'm meeting lab assistant Sandy Sidhu to find out.'
0:23:02 > 0:23:05I'm really interested in this product ambergris.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07- Do you have it here? - I'm afraid we don't have it here,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11but what we do have is the synthetic musk equivalent
0:23:11 > 0:23:13- to the ambergris...- Oh, OK.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17..which is actually the Ambrox, which is over here.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21- It's actually a nice smell. - Yes. It's very subtle,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24but very sensual, and very long-lasting on the skin.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26It's one you want to keep smelling.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Do you think I'm going to find the real thing?
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Um, I don't think that would be possible.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35What we use is the Ambrox, which is the synthetic musk,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38which you usually can get. But what I can tell you
0:23:38 > 0:23:41is that ambergris is taken from the sperm whales,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43but it's very, very rare, as well.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45You might want to try and go out to sea.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Come on, Sandy. Be a bit more encouraging.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50THEY LAUGH
0:23:50 > 0:23:54'Right. I've learned that ambergris is still used in perfumes,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56'and it comes from a sperm whale.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00'It's time to find out what it is, and why it's OK to use it.'
0:24:03 > 0:24:05So far no real ambergris,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08but I've been given a tip-off about a perfumier
0:24:08 > 0:24:11called Roja Dove, and he may be able to help me.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13He's a big noise in the nose world.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20Roja Dove is a fragrance academic, historian and author.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24'I've been told I'll be in the presence of the prince of perfume.'
0:24:27 > 0:24:29"Ambergree". Have I been saying it correctly?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Ambergris, most people in Britain call it. Ambergris.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- OK.- Grey amber.- Grey amber.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38I haven't actually come across the real deal,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41the product itself. Does it still exist?
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Ambergris itself exists, because it's a natural phenomenon.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46It's a natural excretion from the whales.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Ambergris is formed when sperm whales swallow squid.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52The squid have hard, parrot-like beaks,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56which can't be digested, and irritate the intestine of the whale.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59A natural defence is that the whale forms a waxy piece
0:24:59 > 0:25:03around the beak, a little bit like a grain of sand in an oyster
0:25:03 > 0:25:07forms a pearl. But the problem is, this waxy piece gets bigger
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and bigger, and the whale needs to expel it,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13a little bit like a cat honks up a furball.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16SHE LAUGHS It's the same sort of thing.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19And so the waxy paste floats on the oceans,
0:25:19 > 0:25:24and in fact for ambergris to be used traditionally in perfumery,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26we have to take it from the sea,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29because an oxidation occurs on the ambergris,
0:25:29 > 0:25:33and it's the reaction of the salt and the sun
0:25:33 > 0:25:35which gives ambergris its odour.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Would whales ever be hunted for this product?
0:25:37 > 0:25:41It wouldn't be extracted from inside the whale?
0:25:41 > 0:25:45To my knowledge, I don't believe the whale has ever been hunted
0:25:45 > 0:25:49for ambergris, because it would be useless. It would have no odour.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54- So it has to have been honked. - It has to have been honked. Honking is essential.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56So there you have it.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Whale puke plus some salty sea air
0:25:58 > 0:26:01equals the perfect perfume ingredient.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Is it still used today in the industry?
0:26:03 > 0:26:05To my knowledge, yes.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07If somebody is making a very luxurious scent,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11then natural ambergris is something they might choose to still use
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- within the formula. - So there are a few perfumeries
0:26:14 > 0:26:18in the world that will have a supplier of ambergris?
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Yes.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23So, if your budget will stretch to a luxury brand,
0:26:23 > 0:26:27you'll find ambergris in scents made by top labels like Hermes,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Balmain, and what's believed to be the Beckhams' favourite, Creed.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And do you have any for me to look at, to touch?
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- Funnily enough, I do. - It looks like a huge truffle!
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Well, yeah. It's the most unlikely looking stuff.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Ooh! I mean, it doesn't...
0:26:43 > 0:26:45It doesn't smell, most likely, how you might imagine.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- Can we touch it?- Do. Take it out.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54'So this is it. I'm holding a whale by-product,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56'and I'm feeling OK about it -
0:26:56 > 0:26:59'well, as OK as you CAN feel, holding whale puke.'
0:27:00 > 0:27:04Now, don't reach over and punch me, but it smells a bit sicky.
0:27:04 > 0:27:05HE LAUGHS
0:27:05 > 0:27:08What's its importance within the perfume structure?
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Ambergris's structure is made up of cholesterol,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15which is a fat, and this fattiness, or the oiliness,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18is what helps hold all the other raw materials
0:27:18 > 0:27:20on the skin, so it makes not only it last longer,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24but it makes other raw materials last a long time too.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Man has used this raw material and known of it
0:27:26 > 0:27:29for at least 3,000 years.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36It's part of the magic, and it's part of what is incredible
0:27:36 > 0:27:39about the gifts that nature gives us.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43So there is whale in perfume,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45but it's an excretion, not a body part,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47and it's not something I'm angry about.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52- I wonder what the consumers think? - SHE SCREAMS AND LAUGHS
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- I wouldn't wear that perfume. - How does that smell good?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Well, there you go. Somehow it manages it.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- Difficult to believe, eh? - Yeah! That's really odd.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02But it still smells nice, so why not?
0:28:02 > 0:28:05There you go. Cool! Thank you very much.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11From ambergris to amber nectar.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21What I'm discovering is, the more you scratch the surface
0:28:21 > 0:28:24of the fish's anatomy, the more everyday products
0:28:24 > 0:28:29you find fish in, including one of the nation's favourite - booze.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31How many people know that?
0:28:33 > 0:28:37Let me just ask you - there's a fish product that they use in beer.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39- Do you know what it is? - A fish product?
0:28:39 > 0:28:43- Um...- The oil or something? No.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46- I wouldn't have a clue. - Urine?- Guts or something?
0:28:46 > 0:28:48The scales?
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Blood, I suppose, would be horrendous to be drinking.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Er, what else might be in there?
0:28:55 > 0:28:59There's this product called isinglass which they use in beers.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04It comes from a fish, and somehow it gives beer its golden glow.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07I'm meeting some beer drinkers to find out more.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09- WHISTLE BLOWS - 'Hi, I'm Temi.'
0:29:09 > 0:29:12- 'The boys call me Kev.' - 'My name's Chris.'
0:29:12 > 0:29:15The boys call me Teddy. Our drinking team has a rugby problem.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19SONG: "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba
0:29:21 > 0:29:24You come to uni and you want to join the rugby team.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27People just expect, sort of, you will be drinking.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31THEY SHOUT AND CHANT
0:29:34 > 0:29:35THEY SING
0:29:37 > 0:29:41We'd start drinking as soon as we'd finished the game, in the changing rooms.
0:29:41 > 0:29:46'Hopefully we've had a win, and we're all in good spirits. Start drinking there.'
0:29:48 > 0:29:50THEY SHOUT
0:29:53 > 0:29:55There isn't much I wouldn't drink.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59- I'd drink urine out of a pint, dog food, sick...- Yeah!
0:29:59 > 0:30:01THEY SHOUT
0:30:01 > 0:30:05So, what if their beer had fish in it?
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Would they drink that?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13I don't think I've ever thought about what goes into beer,
0:30:13 > 0:30:16purely because you just never consider it.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18So, do they know what beer's made of?
0:30:19 > 0:30:22- Water.- Water?
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Must be made of water to some extent. It's liquid.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Er... We don't know, do we?
0:30:28 > 0:30:32OK. Do they even know what makes it alcoholic?
0:30:33 > 0:30:37I don't know. What does make it alcoholic?
0:30:38 > 0:30:39THEY LAUGH
0:30:39 > 0:30:41THEY SHOUT
0:30:43 > 0:30:45- I've no idea.- We have no idea.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49We drink so much without knowing what's in it. It's quite scary.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56A night on the booze hasn't put them off a 4 AM start at Billingsgate.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Don't know what I'm looking at there.
0:30:58 > 0:31:03It really is a weird place for beer to begin its journey.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07I'm hoping the boys will be as curious as I am.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Is it a head? Is it an eye? Is it blood?
0:31:11 > 0:31:15- Chris!- Hi.- Temi. Morning, lads. Morning. How we doing?
0:31:15 > 0:31:18- Fantastic.- It's early.- It is early. What do you think we're doing
0:31:18 > 0:31:20- at this ungodly hour? - At a fish market,
0:31:20 > 0:31:24- something to do with beer... Not a clue.- Yeah.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27There's a product in beer called isinglass, apparently.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- From a fish, or... - Yeah, from a fish.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33- All right. Cool. - What do you think about the fact
0:31:33 > 0:31:36that there's something fishy in your beer? Does that put you off?
0:31:36 > 0:31:38- Not yet. - Cos you don't know what it is.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Come on.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45CJ Jackson, the director of Billingsgate Seafood Training School,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48will enlighten us.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52CJ, we know that there's something called isinglass in beer,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56- but what is it?- It actually is a dried swim bladder of a fish.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59- What's a swim bladder? - It's like the buoyancy aid.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02It basically keeps round fish upright.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05In the 18th century they used to take the swim bladder from a beluga sturgeon.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Today beluga sturgeons are really endangered.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11It's also one of the most valuable caviars
0:32:11 > 0:32:13that you get.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17So what they're using now is a fish called Vietnamese catfish or Pangasius.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Most of it actually is now processed abroad,
0:32:21 > 0:32:23and it comes in frozen.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Pangasius is mostly farmed in Vietnam.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28It can grow up to three metres long.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30As it's hard to find whole ones in the UK,
0:32:30 > 0:32:34we're going to see the same principle on a much smaller scale.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36'Say hello to Gary the gurnard.'
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Look at his eyes!
0:32:39 > 0:32:41- They're fantastic. - He feels so rubbery!
0:32:41 > 0:32:45- It's really cool. - Really weird little fella.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47See the little bits here?
0:32:47 > 0:32:51You're going to have to get much closer than that, love.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54- Will it jump up at me? - It goes in your pint.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01When you open these fish up, you often find the swim bladder in the middle.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I'm going to take you upstairs, show you how to prepare it,
0:33:04 > 0:33:07and we're going to see if we can find the swim bladder.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10'So, one of Britain's great pastimes -
0:33:10 > 0:33:13'getting bladdered - relies on bladders.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17'For me, dissecting this little fishy will be more fascinating
0:33:17 > 0:33:20'than shocking. Will it be the same for the rugby lads?'
0:33:20 > 0:33:24We're going to cut underneath that dorsal spine.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27- Don't worry. What you need to do... - It's so hard.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32It's fine. Twist the knife so that it's pointing towards the head.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34There you go. Done. How did that feel, Temi?
0:33:35 > 0:33:37I'm struggling.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41I'm going to insert the scissors into the back of the head of the fish.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43OK?
0:33:43 > 0:33:46And then just gently push... CRUNCHING
0:33:47 > 0:33:51- Ugh!- Not liking that? - No, not at all. Wasn't nice.
0:33:51 > 0:33:56You're going to bend the fish down, and as you bend...
0:33:56 > 0:34:00- I don't want it to splat on me. - It's not going to splat on you.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Then I'm going to put my finger in there and gently ease back...
0:34:03 > 0:34:07SQUELCHING
0:34:07 > 0:34:10This is great. The fish bladder is intact. There's still some gas in there.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15And having pulled that back, so you can see the swim bladder...
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- Bend it. Pull it up. - Ooh, there you go. I've got...
0:34:18 > 0:34:20- Look at the bladder. - That's it. Perfect.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23- Yeah. There's one as well. - Yeah. There we go.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26That's the bit you're going to use.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30What I still don't quite understand is how it's used in beer.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Well, I know they dry it, but when it comes to the actual function
0:34:33 > 0:34:38and how they actually use it, you'd need to speak to a brewer.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41'Going to a brewery can't happen soon enough for Temi.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44'I've managed to get beer historian Peter Haydon
0:34:44 > 0:34:49'to show us around his specialist brewery in Greenwich, South London.'
0:34:49 > 0:34:52- Hi, Peter. How are you? - Hello. Welcome to Greenwich.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54- Here are the guys, Kev and Chris and Temi.- Hi, guys.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- Nice to meet you. - Welcome to Meantime. Let's go.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Contain yourselves. We're going into a brewery.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05'I get the impression the boys are in heaven.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09'Here the four elements of water, malt...'
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Mmm, nice smell!
0:35:12 > 0:35:15'..hops and yeast combine
0:35:15 > 0:35:17'to make beer.'
0:35:18 > 0:35:21I've heard two different pronunciations,
0:35:21 > 0:35:25- isinglass and I-singlass. - The word originates from Dutch,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29because when we started using it industrially in this country,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32in around about 1730s,
0:35:32 > 0:35:37the Dutch word "huysen" means sturgeon, and "blas" means bladder.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40So huysen blas was a sturgeon bladder,
0:35:40 > 0:35:43and the Anglicised version would be isinglass.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46That makes sense.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49- Whoa! What's that, Peter? - This is a fish maw.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51- Which is a swim bladder. - Effectively.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Which is the raw material from which we make the isinglass.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58What this is is pure protein. It's protein called collagen.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02It's the same thing as some ladies like to put in their lips
0:36:02 > 0:36:04- to make them bigger. - Don't look at me.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- THEY LAUGH - Don't look at me.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09It's a very pure and natural form of protein.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12- What does it smell like? - Um, pretty plain.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15- Yeah, nothing. - I was hoping I'd get something crazy.
0:36:15 > 0:36:21This must have come from a massive fish. The ones we saw earlier were tiny little things.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Yeah. So how does that end up as isinglass?
0:36:23 > 0:36:26There are a couple of manufacturers in the UK who produce this
0:36:26 > 0:36:29for the brewing industry. They will take the raw material,
0:36:29 > 0:36:35process it firstly into a powder, which some people may wish to use,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and there are a number of options. It can be turned into a paste,
0:36:38 > 0:36:44or, finally, in the format that we're going to use it...
0:36:50 > 0:36:54- So that's like a glue. - That is gloopy.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Could I drink that, or would I get ill?
0:36:56 > 0:36:58You can drink that.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01'Blimey, these lads really will drink anything.'
0:37:01 > 0:37:03In one!
0:37:04 > 0:37:07- Oh, that's horrible. - THEY LAUGH
0:37:07 > 0:37:11I wouldn't drink that. It looks far too gloopy, and a strange colour,
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- and I don't think I'd fancy it. - Can we see this in action now,
0:37:14 > 0:37:17- how it actually works? - Yeah, by all means.- OK.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21Isinglass is used in the production of many cask ales,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24some stouts and a few lagers.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27The yeast content of beer makes it cloudy.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30When mixed with isinglass,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33the yeast molecules stick to isinglass molecules
0:37:33 > 0:37:35and fall to the bottom.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Normally it would take around four days for the yeast to settle
0:37:38 > 0:37:42in this keg. Isinglass does it in just six hours,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45making the whole process a lot quicker.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47So, Kev, if you want to do the honours...
0:37:47 > 0:37:50- Ta-da-dah!- Wow!- That's ridiculous.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- You can see through that beer. - It's like glass.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59- Can I see you? Yes, I can. Hello! - Hello!
0:37:59 > 0:38:01THEY LAUGH
0:38:01 > 0:38:04So if isinglass falls to the bottom of the barrel,
0:38:04 > 0:38:06is there any of it left in the drink?
0:38:06 > 0:38:10This is not a part of the beer. It's not part of the mix.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13As the clumps get bigger, gravity takes over
0:38:13 > 0:38:16and pulls everything out of solution
0:38:16 > 0:38:18to become a sediment at the bottom of the container.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Studies agree that in the majority of cases,
0:38:21 > 0:38:24isinglass is undetectable in the finished pint,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27but some bottle-conditioned ales and cask ales,
0:38:27 > 0:38:29if served from too near the bottom of the barrel,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32may still contain minute amounts.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35To find out that something as obscure as a fish bladder
0:38:35 > 0:38:37goes into some of our favourite beers
0:38:37 > 0:38:39has been a real eye-opener.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43It's time to find out if a little fishy
0:38:43 > 0:38:46has put these rugby boys off their pint.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55I found the whole process today really interesting and fascinating,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57but it hasn't put me off at all,
0:38:57 > 0:39:01because even a product like the swim bladder, the final product -
0:39:01 > 0:39:04fish oils used in lots of food and ingredients,
0:39:04 > 0:39:07fish products - there was nothing squeamish about it for me.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12When you were cutting open the fish and saw the blood and guts,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14but when you see it all dried out and then the liquid,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17- it doesn't put me off. - Temi, you were a bit diffident
0:39:17 > 0:39:20- at the beginning of the day. - I was a bit squeamish.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25To be honest with you, it's part of my life, my lifestyle,
0:39:25 > 0:39:28- so I won't give it up that easy. - If you want a beer,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32you have to cope with the fact that there's fish bladder in it.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34- Cheers, guys.- Cheers. - Good day. Thank you.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Cheers.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Who would have thought a fish bladder could help brighten our booze?
0:39:50 > 0:39:54For the next surprising discovery, I'm on the motorway heading for Manchester.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58When I think of Manchester, I don't really think of fish.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02I think of industrial landscapes, football teams...
0:40:03 > 0:40:06..and, of course, music.
0:40:12 > 0:40:18Over the decades, Britain has been rocking to the sound of Manchester bands like The Smiths,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22Oasis, the Stone Roses, Take That, and even the Bee Gees.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28The question is, what are they doing in a film about fish by-products?
0:40:33 > 0:40:36I'm about to find out.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Ged Green makes and repairs guitars for rock stars.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48His clients include Sinead O'Connor, Badly Drawn Boy,
0:40:48 > 0:40:52the Zutons, Gary Barlow, and some others he's not allowed to reveal.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58I'm following the fish trail to his workshop in Manchester.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03I know nothing, except that there is a fish part,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06or some part of the fish, that's utilised
0:41:06 > 0:41:09in the manufacturing and creation of guitars.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15Is it the inside of the fish or the outside of the fish?
0:41:15 > 0:41:18- I'd say the outside.- So the scales?
0:41:18 > 0:41:22- No. They don't have scales. - So we're going for shellfish.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- Yes, that's right. - OK. Moving on to the guitar, then...
0:41:25 > 0:41:28- THEY LAUGH - Is it the string?- No.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31- Is it in here?- Er, yes.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34- So it's some sort of shell. - It is, yeah.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36Oyster shells?
0:41:36 > 0:41:40- No, these are abalone and pearl. - Ah, the wonderful abalone!
0:41:42 > 0:41:44'Abalone is a type of sea snail
0:41:44 > 0:41:48'found in the oceans around South Africa and New Zealand.'
0:41:48 > 0:41:50- What is it?- That is an abalone.
0:41:50 > 0:41:53'It's also known as ear shell and mutton fish.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56'It might not look like much, but it's considered a delicacy.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59'I'd describe it as a kind of giant scallop.'
0:41:59 > 0:42:00Argh!
0:42:00 > 0:42:03'Once the meat is removed, the shells can be polished,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06'revealing a beautiful array of colours.'
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- What are you showing me that for? - That's what it is.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12- I didn't know, did I? - You certainly didn't.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15But it isn't just Ged who does this.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18If you're thrashing away on any half-decent guitar
0:42:18 > 0:42:22in your mum's garage, chances are it's got some of this stuff in it.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25So, we were talking about shells - molluscs, indeed.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29- Show me your molluscs. - Here's one I prepared earlier!
0:42:29 > 0:42:31- So, this is an abalone shell.- Yeah.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34I think this is possibly New Zealand or Tasmania,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36which seems to be the main source.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39When it's stuck to a rock or something,
0:42:39 > 0:42:41there's little tentacles out the side,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44and these are allegedly breathing holes.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47- Do they arrive in this form for you? - No, it doesn't come like that.
0:42:47 > 0:42:53It comes in slices. It's bought by the ounce.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56This is a fingerboard for a guitar.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58'You cut a little pocket for it to sit in.'
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- Yeah.- That gets glued in.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04- Is this expensive? - Enough to do that neck
0:43:04 > 0:43:07- would be about £40. - So it is expensive.- Yeah.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13These are different tops for guitars. What's interesting here is,
0:43:13 > 0:43:16you can see the colour changing. They're all different.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19- You get greens, blues... - Lots of purples going on here.
0:43:19 > 0:43:20Absolutely fantastic.
0:43:20 > 0:43:25I've seen guitars going back to the 1500s,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28and all the adornment on them was this sort of work.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Even back then, even the early versions of the guitar.
0:43:31 > 0:43:36I think it probably goes back to Egyptian times, and pre that.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Will you let me loose on one of your guitars?
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Um...no. SHE LAUGHS
0:43:42 > 0:43:46Um, you could try and turn this into something.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48I like that idea. Yeah.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54You can see that basically that would probably come out of that.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Right, let's give it a go. So hold it fairly tight...
0:43:57 > 0:43:59MACHINERY GRINDS
0:43:59 > 0:44:03'He won't let me near the guitars, but he'll let me have a go
0:44:03 > 0:44:06'at milling some shell into a beautiful guitar decoration.'
0:44:06 > 0:44:10You know what it smells like? When you're in the dentist.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Yeah. SHE LAUGHS
0:44:12 > 0:44:15MACHINERY GRINDS
0:44:18 > 0:44:20- Bit more?- A lot more.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27- They're tough beasts, these! - Oh, gosh.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31We're getting some of it. Agh!
0:44:31 > 0:44:34'At this point I should say neither Ged nor I have done this before.'
0:44:34 > 0:44:37- There must be a better method. - Do you think so?
0:44:37 > 0:44:40'No wonder he wouldn't let me loose on the guitars.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45'So, shells in guitars.'
0:44:46 > 0:44:50It's not as weird as fish bladder in beer,
0:44:50 > 0:44:52or prawn shell in hairspray.
0:44:54 > 0:44:59But none of these things are as weird as what I'm about to see next.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06One part of the fish I'm surprised to find there's a use for is the skin,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09and I don't really think about fish skin and glamour.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Eel skin, yes. Shark skin, come across before.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15But fish skin and fashion? Intrigued!
0:45:15 > 0:45:21Now, I like my fish skin crispy. Some of you may like it peeled off.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24'But now the likes of Dior, Gucci and Prada
0:45:24 > 0:45:26'have taken fish skin off the dinner table
0:45:26 > 0:45:29'and put it onto the catwalk.'
0:45:31 > 0:45:33For those of us suffering from recession immunity,
0:45:33 > 0:45:36designer trainers and handbags made of fish leather
0:45:36 > 0:45:39could be one way to make a noisy fashion statement.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44In 2003, the main fish-leather supplier in Iceland
0:45:44 > 0:45:47sold 15,000 square feet of fish leather.
0:45:47 > 0:45:52Last year that jumped up to 106,000 square feet.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55I'm visiting the Nordestrond fish factory
0:45:55 > 0:45:58in the north of Iceland, to find out how fish...
0:46:00 > 0:46:03..turns into leather.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Showing me around is manager Gunni Sune Jonsson.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13- Hi, Gunni. - Hello, Julia.- Nice to meet you.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16- HE GREETS HER IN ICELANDIC - Thank you. What do you do here?
0:46:16 > 0:46:18We are a processing plant,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21and we process, for example, some wolffish.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24- Wolffish? - Wolffish. This is a wolffish.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28What do you do with that fish? Do you use the entire fish?
0:46:28 > 0:46:30Yeah. More or less, we use the entire fish.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32- We use the skin to make leather. - OK, yes.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36- We make potion from the fish. - So from the actual meat?
0:46:36 > 0:46:40- And from the head and the bones, animal food.- Pet food.- Yes.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43- So, how does this become leather? - Let me show you, Julia.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47We go in there and put some clothes on, and you try yourself.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50All right, then. I presume I'm going to have to touch them.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54Fish from all over Iceland arrives here on a daily basis.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57It's mostly cod and wolffish.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04The head and guts are removed before being filleted
0:47:04 > 0:47:09by skilled workers who can slice through 5,000 wolffish in a shift.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13We're almost ready.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16'I'm about to get a master class from the fastest filleter in the fjord.'
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Christian can fillet an amazing four fish a minute.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33- First of all, you want to hold your knife like that.- Yeah.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38If you take the flap over here, and then you just cut...
0:47:38 > 0:47:41- Under there.- Down as close to the bone as possible.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44- Yeah. I can feel the bone. - Turn your knife like that,
0:47:44 > 0:47:48and start cutting gently down,
0:47:48 > 0:47:52and try to follow the bone. Just watch your fingers.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55It's very, very slimy. I can feel the bones.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58I think I might have done something wrong here.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00- Probably. - If you just follow that, yeah.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04- OK?- Yeah.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06- OK.- Take it off.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10So there's my fillet, which is a bit of a bloody mess, isn't it?
0:48:10 > 0:48:13Look. Let's see yours, Christian.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16Just look at that. I mean, that's just perfect.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20Beautifully done. I hope I do a better job taking the skin off.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22- Just take a fillet.- Yeah.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24- Put it skin-down.- Yes.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27- And the tail part in first. - Tail end that way. Right.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30- So just pop it down on there?- Yeah.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32Like this.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34- That's it?- Yeah.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38- This is a fantastic contraption! - It's a lot easier than filleting.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41- Whoa!- Oh, you put it upside down!
0:48:41 > 0:48:45Ugh! I got a bit of fish juice in my mouth then. Ugh!
0:48:48 > 0:48:50Oh, dear. They've got to cut that one out.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56How's that? Oh, look, we've still got a bit of skin to get off there.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59- You must put it aside.- Oh, dear.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02'Of course I'm only imagining that's what Gunni is saying,
0:49:02 > 0:49:04'but this could've been a nice handbag.'
0:49:04 > 0:49:09Maybe it's the lack of daylight that's sending me potty but I soon get into the groove.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12I'm now getting a feel for it, so it's placing the tail down,
0:49:12 > 0:49:15and release the wolffish.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21'Two to three tons of skins pass through this machine every week
0:49:21 > 0:49:25'before being graded for size and quality.'
0:49:25 > 0:49:28OK. Is that a good one or a bad one?
0:49:28 > 0:49:30For the leather we prefer the big size.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33- It has no holes.- So that goes in this box full of ice?
0:49:33 > 0:49:35Yeah.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41- This one put here. It's too small. - Where do those skins go?
0:49:41 > 0:49:43They go to cat food.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45And where am I taking this now, Gunni?
0:49:45 > 0:49:49You are to take this to the tanning company at Saudarkrokur.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52- Saudarkrokur? - Saudarkrokur.- Saudarkrokur.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54- Yes.- Right.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Right, off to Saudarkrokur I go.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04After just a few hours in the factory, it's dark again.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09I'm on my way to Atlantic Leather tannery.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12This is one of only a handful of places in the world
0:50:12 > 0:50:16that makes fish leather. I'm really curious to find out how such a fragile skin
0:50:16 > 0:50:18becomes tough enough to make leather.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23'My guide here will be boss Gunnsteinn.'
0:50:23 > 0:50:25- Gunnsteinn, hello.- Hi.- Hi, there.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28- There we go. There's a gift for you. - Oh, thank you.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32Some lovely soggy fish skins ready to be turned into leather.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35- What do we do first? - First we go to the fleshing machine.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39- Fleshing?- Fleshing. - Lovely. That's nice.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47So the machine is shaving off the rest of the flesh?
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Yes. We have knives in there that remove the flesh from the skin.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54You're just left with this.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56- Now it goes to the drum for tanning. - OK.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59'Tanning involves putting skins into a drum
0:50:59 > 0:51:02'and mixing them with chemicals like chromium.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05'Left untreated, the skins will simply decompose.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10'But over a week in the drum, the chemicals change the structure of the proteins in the skin...'
0:51:10 > 0:51:13It's started to fill. Just a little bit water.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16'..creating a durable piece of leather
0:51:16 > 0:51:19'from which it's possible to make lots of groovy things.'
0:51:19 > 0:51:21- Very good.- Oh, look!
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Fully tanned wolffish.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26Wow! Oh, it feels all spongy now!
0:51:26 > 0:51:30- So how long has that been spinning in the drum for?- One week.
0:51:30 > 0:51:31- One week?- Yes.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36Is it the same process with fish skin as it is with other hides?
0:51:36 > 0:51:39No. The basic difference between fish skins
0:51:39 > 0:51:44and other hides is that the fish is cold blood.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48The temperature they tolerate before boiling is only 28 degrees.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51When we started to develop this,
0:51:51 > 0:51:55- we made thousands of gallons of fish soup.- Right.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57'For me, the capacity to turn fragile fish skin
0:51:57 > 0:51:59'into durable leather...'
0:51:59 > 0:52:01There's no way you can tear this.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04'..is the most surprising aspect of this process.
0:52:04 > 0:52:09'But I'm wondering what other surprises Gunnsteinn has in his Willy Wonka-esque tannery.'
0:52:09 > 0:52:11- It's ostrich legs.- Ostrich legs?
0:52:11 > 0:52:14- Yes. You see?- Yeah.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17If you think that's weird, there's also a line of testicle purses
0:52:17 > 0:52:19and psychedelic furs.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22These are animals found dead in the wild
0:52:22 > 0:52:25and collected by the tannery.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31So what's spinning around in there?
0:52:31 > 0:52:33- Here we have salmon.- Salmon?
0:52:33 > 0:52:36- Yes. - So you can use salmon skin as well?
0:52:36 > 0:52:39- Oh, yes.- Can you use any fish skin?
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Theoretically, yes.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45So you could theoretically make a handbag out of your goldfish
0:52:45 > 0:52:48- if you wanted to.- Yes.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53- Here's salmon.- Look at that!
0:52:54 > 0:52:58That is amazing. This is more like snakeskin, isn't it?
0:52:58 > 0:53:01- Yeah.- That's even more... - You see the pockets?
0:53:01 > 0:53:03- They are amazing.- Yeah.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Feel how thin it is and how strong it is.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10- SHE GRUNTS - Yeah. That's brilliantly strong.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13'I'm now on a real mission to see it become a fashion item.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17'After being dyed...
0:53:18 > 0:53:22'..the leather is stretched on a board and dried overnight.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24'Then it's softened...'
0:53:24 > 0:53:27Now it's just like nice, squidgy soft leather.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29'..and prepared for the final finish.'
0:53:29 > 0:53:32So you're putting Christmas wrapping paper onto some salmon skins.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36Yes. We'll do that. This is one type of the finish we can do.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38- OK.- Let's see.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41- We'll take this... - Whoa, it's like a big pizza.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43It's like a big pizza, yeah.
0:53:43 > 0:53:45- Put there.- Yeah.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47- Do that? - And then close this for me.- OK.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50- Whoa!- Off it goes.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53- Let's see. Now pull this little bit out.- Yeah.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55- Oh, it's hot.- Yes, it is.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57Yes, it's hot.
0:53:57 > 0:54:01- Let's see. Peel it back from here? - Peel.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04- There you go.- Whoa!
0:54:04 > 0:54:06Look at that!
0:54:06 > 0:54:12- Glittery, shiny disco salmon skin! - It's like a rainbow.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16Can you imagine the shoes?
0:54:16 > 0:54:21I'm wearing them in my head! I'm going disco dancin'!
0:54:21 > 0:54:24That's brilliant!
0:54:27 > 0:54:30'Seeing a salmon turned into a designer handbag
0:54:30 > 0:54:34'is about as weird as... well, seeing a salmon turned into a designer handbag.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37'I wonder what the great British public will think?'
0:54:42 > 0:54:44What do you think that's made out of?
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Leather with a snakeskin effect on it.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51- Snake or alligator. - Probably, like, snake.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53- I would say crocodile.- Crocodile?
0:54:53 > 0:54:55- Snake?- Snake?- Yeah.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59- I wouldn't say it's an animal. - You don't think it's an animal?
0:54:59 > 0:55:01- No.- No.- Shall I show you what it is?
0:55:01 > 0:55:03- OK.- Yeah.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06Oh, my God! It's a fish!
0:55:06 > 0:55:09- Surprised?- Wow!
0:55:09 > 0:55:11- Wow!- No way!
0:55:11 > 0:55:14- Really? Oh, right!- It's a fish skin.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16A fish?
0:55:16 > 0:55:20- Oh, my gosh! - I never would've thought that!
0:55:20 > 0:55:24- Neither would've I. - Are you surprised?- Definitely.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26'And there's no need for the boys to feel left out.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29'Not just handbags come from salmon.'
0:55:29 > 0:55:31- You can turn it into pretty much everything.- Yes.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35We have shoes like these.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38- Look at those!- You can get in UK.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41They're very cool. And this is salmon?
0:55:41 > 0:55:44- This is salmon skin. - So, salmon-skin high tops.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48- So, who do you supply? - We supply all the big names -
0:55:48 > 0:55:53Dior, Gucci, Prada, Ferragamo, Donna Karan.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56So there's a wide range of customer.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59Next time I'm tucking into cod and chips, I might keep the skin.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02I'm completely amazed that fish like haddock and salmon,
0:56:02 > 0:56:04potentially even your goldfish,
0:56:04 > 0:56:07can be turned into designer shoes and bags.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11In this film, I wanted to find out how the products that fill our lives
0:56:11 > 0:56:13are full of seafood.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19Who would have thought that prawn shells make hairspray,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22that fish bladders make beer,
0:56:22 > 0:56:24and that whale puke can help make perfume?
0:56:24 > 0:56:28The main thing I've noticed is that although the consumers I've met
0:56:28 > 0:56:31were disgusted at the beginning of the process,
0:56:31 > 0:56:33by the time we got to the end product,
0:56:33 > 0:56:35they were OK with it.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37How about you?
0:56:37 > 0:56:41'Next time, I revisit my best moments from the series.'
0:56:43 > 0:56:45These are bone-cutters.
0:56:46 > 0:56:47That's keeping you alive.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50- What have we got in our hand? - Beef intestines.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52- Ugh!- I wouldn't associate a cow with a book.
0:56:52 > 0:56:57It was all horrible. I didn't like it. And now I like it. It's nice.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00# I got a fish
0:57:00 > 0:57:03# In my dish
0:57:05 > 0:57:08# And I'm feeling fine
0:57:08 > 0:57:12# I got a fish
0:57:12 > 0:57:14# In my dish
0:57:16 > 0:57:20# And I know it's mine #
0:57:20 > 0:57:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:57:24 > 0:57:28E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk