Fat whale: useful properties, application

People hunt whales for many centuries. Why is this happening? One of the main reasons is the fat of whales. It is used very much in many spheres of human activity. In the article, we will describe in detail about this organic matter, which possesses important microelements and vitamins.

Whaling

Whales are huge mammals that live in water. Their weight can reach up to 150 tons (for example, in extinct mammoths it did not exceed 15), and the average length reaches 25 meters.

It is quite natural that these large animals attracted people's attention. According to historical data, hunting for whales has existed for more than four thousand years. At that time, there were a lot of these mammals. At times more than hunters. Now the situation has radically changed. In many countries, strict prohibitions have been imposed on the extermination of various species of whales.

Regulate the production of animals began in 1931. Nevertheless, whaling is very popular in countries such as Russia, Canada, Greenland, the USA, Iceland, Norway and Japan.

At first, whale meat was very much appreciated, but then people learned to use almost all parts of mammals. Their brains and glands are sources of insulin and adrenocorticotropic hormone, and the liver is rich in vitamin A. Blood, skin and fat of whales are also used. From the bones made in the past rafters for dwellings or rubbed them into flour, which fertilized the soil. Well, the whalebone was used in perfumery to get the ambre. We go further.

Fat of whales

It is he who finds the most wide application among the products obtained from these mammals. Hunters, to extract the whale oil, climbed inside the whale through the mouth. This method is the most optimal, as it was not necessary to cut the skin, which was then also used. All whales have a large enough fat reserve. This is due to the fact that mammals live in cold waters, where you can easily freeze. It also saves animals during long migrations (with prolonged lack of food, whales live off fat) and provides them with buoyancy.

VORVAN - that's exactly what the Middle Ages called the fat of whales and other marine animals. It was produced by smelting mammals. The resulting substance was characterized by a yellowish tinge and an unpleasant odor.

The largest species of whales is blue, they have a fatty layer up to 30 centimeters in thickness. Usually it is 25-30% of their body weight (around 30 tons). In individual individuals, this figure reaches 50%. In addition to the subcutaneous layer, fat can be contained in other tissues, meat and even bones. To get a blubber, they digested all these parts.

Extraction and application

There are not many methods of treating fat. The most ancient of them is digestion. Pieces of whale fat and meat were thrown in the oven right on the ship, and then they poured the received liquid on the barrels. Also, the blubber was obtained in the Middle Ages with the help of a drowning in the sun.

Why use the fat of a whale? Previously, jute was made from it, soap was manufactured and used as lubricants. Over time, fat began to fill in lanterns and lamps, and also used as fuel for machinery. Well, for example, in Japan this organic substance was used as an insecticide that repels locusts.

So, where the whale fat is used, we found out. It remains to tell about the method of its extraction. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, this hydrogenation. When applying this method of treatment, the fat becomes hard and absolutely odorless. Since then, it has been used to make margarines and oils. Now the fat of whales is used mainly in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Well, people living in the northern regions, still use it for food.

Composition

Whale oil is a source of valuable substances that a person needs for good health. It has a rather high content of vitamin A, which has antioxidant properties and stimulates the immune system. A fat from the liver of the whale is rich in vitamin D. The latter is responsible for the growth of cells and the production of several hormones.

However, there are a number of substances that you will not get from other products. Fatty acids are of primary value to humans. Well, the product described in the article contains many of them: arachine, palmitic, olive, laronic and others.

Also worth noting the presence of polyunsaturated acids, which are the most important substances. In whale oil, their content ranges from 30 to 40%. The human body is not able to independently produce polyunsaturated acids, involved in the regulation of several body functions (accumulation of cholesterol, etc.). Therefore, it is necessary to replenish their stock from the outside.

Beneficial features

So, we described the composition of the product. But why do we need whale oil? The polyunsaturated acids found in it are omega-3. They help reduce blood pressure in the blood vessels and prevent the formation of blood clots. In addition, omega-3 promotes good vision and memory.

And the fat of the whale helps in the prevention of diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, asthma, osteochondrosis and sciatica. Due to its composition, it strengthens all tissues of the body. Whale oil increases immunity, prevents oncology and speeds up the metabolism.

The product rejuvenates the body and gives the person more energy and strength, helping to get out of depression. In the pharmaceutical industry, the fat of the whale is used as a remedy for burns. It also promotes the healing of tissues. And in cosmetology, whale oil moisturizes the skin to give it elasticity and elasticity.

Slimming

As strange as it sounds, you can lose weight with whale fat. But this does not mean that you need to eat his packs and stick to the old way of life. It is very caloric in itself, and if you absorb it in large quantities, then it will not lead to slenderness. The secret is in another - the fat of a whale is necessary to the person at active growing thin. He supplies the necessary substances, and when practicing sports in combination with a reasonable diet promotes the recruitment of muscle mass.

When losing weight, the body experiences severe stress, and the fat of the whale helps to minimize it, providing the most smooth transition. The product contributes to the normalization of all important processes in the body. Excretion of toxins and assistance in assimilation of nutrients obtained from food are two other functions that are performed in the body by whale fat. In Kaliningrad and other Russian cities it can be bought freely in pharmacies.

Extermination of whales

Despite all the benefits that people receive from these animals, mammals themselves have a hard time. Several millennia ago, people used only whales that threw themselves ashore. But over time, their targeted fishing began, which has reached such a scale that many mammals can disappear forever.

Endangered species include finwala, blue, Greenlandic and northern smooth whale. To prevent a sad outcome, bans on hunting regularly appear. But the value of mammals from this has not diminished. Japan, Iceland and Norway regularly violate the moratoriums introduced. By the way, there is even a game in the genre MMORPG, dedicated to hunting for whales. It's called Black Desert. Whale oil there is one of the resources used in alchemy.

Many cosmetic and pharmaceutical firms support established moratoriums. They learned how to make synthetic acids, no different from those found in whale fat. The effect from them is the same, and even mammals do not suffer from it.