No Added Chemicals

Previously in Totally Synthesised, a chemical compound called tetrodotoxin from a puffer fish makes a plate of deadly sashimi from Japan. This time a delicacy from Indonesia known as tempe bongkrek  and it is made from a fermented coconut press cake. However, a contaminated tempe bongkrek with bacterium Burkholderia cocovenans  causes this food becomes toxic due to a chemical produced by the bacterium which is bongkrek acid or bongkrekic acid. Bongkrek Acid and Tempe Bongkrek

In 1992, a family of structurally related natural products was isolated from various fungal cultures by researchers at Glaxo and Merck. This chemical family is known as the squalestatins and the zaragozic acids, named after Province of Zaragoza, where the fungi were found. One of the members of the zaragozic acids/squalestatins family is zaragozic acid A/squalestatins 1. Zaragozic acid A and coat of arm of Province of Zaragoza