This famous brand of pasta is among the most invaded by worms: here is which one

It is common to find small insects, worms, butterflies and other animals in the poorer brands of pasta on the market, but you should definitely watch out for them. Besides being an unpleasant phenomenon, it is disgusting, it can endanger our health. Additionally, these small animals could also contaminate other foods, rendering them inedible. Fortunately, however, the problems for our health are not so serious, in the sense that if we were to ingest contaminated pasta unintentionally, we would certainly not die. Let’s find out where these annoying insects come from.

Worms can be found in pasta wrappers, especially those nearing their expiration date. In practice, the eggs are laid by parasitic cereal insects. Therefore, at this stage, if the eggs find favorable conditions (such as humidity), they tend to proliferate, develop and transform. At first you will have larvae or worms, which will then evolve into butterflies again. The most common parasite is Tenebrio molitor. It is a small beetle, which can lay up to 600 eggs in a short time.

Egg development usually occurs in a little or more than two weeks. Butterflies found in pasta packets are called moths or moths (Lepidoptera). They gather together in small cobwebs and also undergo a metamorphosis which transforms them from larvae into adult insects. Weevils are another type of insect that are easily found in cereals and pasta. Which measures just over 3 millimeters and although it belongs to the family of elytra, it cannot fly.

Although, as mentioned above, the risks to our health are not so serious that they lead to death, they should in no way be underestimated. Cereals such as pasta can easily be contaminated because insects that settle in granaries lay their eggs there. When the wheat undergoes transformation processes, such as the transformation into flour, it manages to keep the eggs intact, since they are very small to be eliminated. Elimination could on the contrary take place thanks to specific insecticides. However, these could leave residues that are dangerous to our health.

Despite this, it should be emphasized that during the processing of cereals they are subjected to a temperature above 100 degrees, a procedure specifically used for the destruction of larvae. However, this does not occur in the production of pasta, as the temperatures used do not exceed 75 degrees. This means that some eggs may escape cooking and survive. Here is what we must do to prevent the proliferation of these disgusting insects. the pasta must be stored correctly, in a cool and dry place, but above all with temperatures not exceeding 30 degrees.