Are you aware of the ingredients in your food - Some seemingly basic foods contain strange ingredients and additives. 

Are you prepared to see what mysterious things are in some of your favorite dishes, sweets, and snacks? Click through the gallery to find out.

© iStock

Prepackaged shredded cheese - According to Food Renegade, prepackaged shredded cheese contains cellulose, which is structural component in green plants or basically wood pulp. This additive stops the cheese sticking together in clumps.

© iStock

Meat - Did you know that your butcher may be using a glue to combine two pieces of meat? This glue is called transglutaminase and is not harmful, according to Cooking Issues. Butchers around the world use it to combine leftover meat.

© iStock

Oreos - Did you know that the white cream in Oreo cookies is made of vegetable oil? This product is high in hydrogenated fat.

© iStock

Bread - The bread you buy at the supermarket may contain an amino acid called L-cysteine to prolong its shelf life. This amino acid can contain human hair, according to  Natural News.

© iStock

Ice cream - You know what carrageenan is? This ingredient may be present in some of your favorite ice creams. Carrageenan is extracted from red edible seaweeds and is linked to several diseases.

© iStock

Jelly beans - Jelly beans are popular all over the world. Their shine is due to a substance called shellac, a resin secreted by the female lac bug.

© iStock

Peanuts - Did you know that peanuts aren't actually nuts? They're a legume, which means they are closer to peas than nuts.

© iStock

Ketchup - Did you know that this beloved condiment has more sugar than ice cream? If you think everything tastes better with ketchup, it's probably because you're addicted to sugar.

© iStock

Muffins - Like prepackaged shredded cheese, muffins also often contain cellulose.

© iStock

Soy sauce - Soy sauce is traditionally made of soy paste, roasted beans, brine, and mold. The mixture is allowed to ferment so that the mold can improve the taste before the liquid is extracted.

© iStock

Vanilla or strawberry ice cream -

To produce strawberry and vanilla flavors, several ice cream companies use castoreum, an oily yellowish secretion extracted from beaver's sac. This ingredient is used as a flavor enhancer.

© Shutterstock

Fruit juices - Some fruit juices contain a substance called carbendazim. This chemical is mainly found in pesticides and has been banned in the United States. Beverages that contain the fungicide continue to be imported from other countries.

© iStock

Diet drinks - The vast majority of diet beverages contain aspartame. The additive is used to replace sugar and is made from the waste products of genetically modified E. coli bacteria normally found in the intestine.

© iStock

French fries - French fries and nuggets from fast-food chains sometimes contain dimethylpolysiloxane. The substance is a preservative.

© iStock

Marshmallows - This popular candy is made of sugar and gelatin, a substance obtained by boiling animal skin and bones.

© iStock

Chocolate milk - Cellulose powder is used in chocolate milk to prevent creaming in the product. This wood pulp is also responsible for the drink's darker color.

© iStock

Fiber cereal - You may think that fiber cereals are healthier than flavored cereals. But according to Mark's Daily Apple, this type of cereal often contains corn syrup.

© iStock

Fruit - Fruit bought in supermarkets may contain shellac, which acts as a preservative. As previously mentioned, shellac is a resin  secreted by a beetle. In addition to this resin, fruit often also contains another type of coating to extend its shelf life.

© iStock

Beer - According to the BBC, fish bladder is often used in beer. Isinglass is a clearing agent.

© iStock

Jello - Jello is just flavored gelatin, which is derived from collagen obtained from various animal tissues, particularly pig skin, according to Peta.

© iStock

Chewing gum -

Chewing gum can contain lanolin, a waxy secretion from the sebaceous glands of sheep, according to Deccan Chronicle.

© Shutterstock 

Potato chips - Sodium bisulfite is a chemical compound found in several bathroom cleaning products. It can also be found in some potato chip brands to extend their shelf life and prevent them from losing color.

© iStock

Rice - The website Prevention lists five foods that contain traces of arsenic. Rice is one such food.

© iStock

Packaged meat - Salt contributes to high blood pressure, so pay attention to the packaged meat you buy. According to the website Health, some meat is injected with salt water to increase the flavor and volume of the meat.

© iStock

Skittles - This popular candy contains a substance called carmine. The bright-red pigment is obtained from cochineal, a type of beetle that releases the secretion when burned.

© iStock

Barbecue sauce - Barbecue sauce may contain a substance called liquid smoke, which is made by burning sawdust that is put in water or vegetable oil. The smokey flavor you taste in some barbecue sauces comes from this liquid.

© iStock

Caviar -

Some imported caviar can contain borax, an agent commonly found in cleaning products. Borax has been banned in food products in the United States, but it can still be found in imported products.

See also: What was the average diet like in medieval Europe?

© iStock