A woman sat down to eat the soup she made for dinner and wondered why small “sesame seed”-looking dots were floating at the top. She took a closer look and realized the small dots were actually bugs. As it turns out, she missed one crucial step after purchasing her seasoning to prevent the infestation.
In a video with over 14,000 views, TikToker Jenn Nguyen (@jenn.when) stands at her kitchen counter and tells viewers she is “about to crash out” after her discovery.
She holds up a bottle of red pepper powder, which she used in her soup.
“I take a scoop of [the soup], and I’m looking at it closely. I’m like, ‘Wait, why does it kind of look like bugs?'” she recounts.
Nguyen pours out a small portion of the seasoning into her hand and shows the camera. Several small brown bugs begin running across her palm.
“There’s literal bugs,” she exclaims.
What Are These Bugs?
Nguyen shares that a quick Google search found that the bugs are called “cigarette beetles” and commonly lay their eggs in dried vegetables. When the vegetables are ground into seasoning, some of the eggs survive. And they can hatch months later after previously going undetected.
Luckily, cigarette beetles aren’t harmful to humans, according to pest control company Moyer. However, an infestation can be hard to stop once it starts, and food items should be thrown out once the beetles are discovered.
There may be one clever way to stop the infestation before it starts.
“Apparently you’re supposed to freeze your seasonings like paprika, chili, and all that stuff because they love those.”
Do You Really Need To Freeze Your Seasoning?
While freezing seasoning could prevent the beetle eggs from hatching, there are a few things you’ll want to consider.
According to Eat Well, freezing or refrigerating spices can keep them fresh for longer. However, not all experts agree. Refrigerating spices could expose the seasoning to humidity or moisture, which could create problems like mold down the line, per a blog by seasoning brand Mrs. Dash. Freezing carries less of a risk, as long as the temperature is cold and consistent enough.
“You’re supposed to freeze [the seasoning] for two to three days for the eggs to die, just in case there are eggs,” Nguyen explains.
Still, Redditors on r/Cooking debated whether freezing spices is a good idea.
“I do not – worried about moisture and I think the quality would suffer. My strategy is to try to buy in quantities I use fairly quickly and to toss them if they’re too old. Also, toasting the spices really helps,” one suggested.
Another wrote, “I get the logic behind it. Freezing is supposed to keep the volatile oils from decomposing and going stale. I keep all my chili powders, paprikas, and gochugaru in the freezer in well-sealed containers since those are supposed to go stale the fastest.”
Has This Happened To Viewers?
In the comments of Nguyen’s video, some viewers said they’ve also discovered an infestation of the small beetles in their seasonings.
One commenter shared, “Had this happen once few years ago been traumatized since then and this is why I have all my seasonings in the fridge idc idc no seasonings stay outside these creatures spread everywhere!!”
Another said, “I’ve seen them in my dry California chiles for my salsas. Oh helll no I had to do a deep cleaning.”
“This exact same thing happened to me too,” a third remarked.
Others couldn’t believe that Nguyen poured the live bugs into her hand to show them.
“Don’t traumatize me sista,” a viewer begged.
“THE BUG CRAWLING IN YOURHAND OH MY GAWD,” a second wrote.
@jenn.when your friendly reminder to check your seasonings!!! i threw the whole soup away 🙁
BroBible reached out to Nguyen via email and TikTok direct message for further comment. We will update the story when she replies.