Castoreum Castoreum Castoreum is a yellowish exudate from the castor sacs of the mature North American beaver ("Castor canadensis") and the European beaver ("Castor fiber"). Beavers use castoreum in combination with urine to scent mark their territory. Both beaver sexes have a pair of castor sacs and a pair of anal glands, located in two cavities under the skin between the pelvis and the base of the tail. The castor sacs are not true glands (endocrine or exocrine) on a cellular level, hence references to these structures as preputial glands, castor glands, or scent glands are misnomers. It is used as
Regulation of food and dietary supplements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration an article or substance as food will generally be permitted if that article or substance is not ordinarily injurious to health. Food is also deemed adulterated "if it consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance, or if it is otherwise unfit for food"; if it was "prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby it may have been rendered injurious to health"; if it was produced from "a diseased animal or of an animal which has died otherwise than by slaughter"; if it was packaged