46

I heard this claim and burst into laughter assuming it was a joke, but the person said he was being serious.

Is this true that Red Bull contains bull's sperm?

Improve this question
4
  • 3
    30k views and only 24 upvotes? You sure broke the record for the lowest upvote/view
    – Pacerier
    Dec 4, 2013 at 21:56
  • 1
    @Pacerier Probably viewed by non-members.
    – gerrit
    May 26, 2014 at 19:21
  • @gerrit, So how do we see the member view count?
    – Pacerier
    May 27, 2014 at 14:09
  • @Pacerier I don't think we can but you could ask on Meta Stack Exchange.
    – gerrit
    May 27, 2014 at 15:21

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
60

The rumor about bull sperm originates from the the fact that Red Bull advertises that it includes taurine, a name that if broken into its constituent parts sounds enough like "taur" (as in bull) and "urine" to create a cute little urban legend. In fact taurine is just an amino acid, and the version added to food isn't an animal product at all.

The Red Bull brand addresses this urban legend on a FAQ page on its website:

IS RED BULL® ENERGY DRINK SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS?

Red Bull® Energy Drink is suitable for vegetarians. Red Bull® Energy Drink does not contain any animal products or substances derived from animals.

IS RED BULL® ENERGY DRINK GLUTEN FREE, VEGAN, WHEAT FREE, DAIRY FREE?

Yes, Red Bull® Energy Drink is gluten free, vegan, wheat free, dairy free!

IS TAURINE MADE FROM BULLS' TESTICLES? IS TAURINE A DERIVATIVE OF BULLS' TESTICLES OR SEMEN?

The taurine in Red Bull® Energy Drink is a purely synthetic substance produced by pharmaceutical companies and is not derived from animals or animal materials. All ingredients for Red Bull® Energy Drink are synthetically produced by pharmaceutical companies. This guarantees the highest quality.

Improve this answer
2
  • 36
    That's a marketing ploy I haven't heard before: "100% Artificial, so you know it's the highest quality!".
    – Muhd
    Feb 18, 2012 at 2:58
  • 20
    It's just as valid as "100% Natural, so you know it's the highest quality!"
    – Publius
    Mar 14, 2013 at 21:16
30

From Red Bull

Taurine is an amino acid which is naturally occurring in the human body. It is found in high concentrations in muscle, brain, heart and blood.

…about the origin of taurine in Red Bull? Many people bet it comes from some delicate parts of the strongest and most potent bulls in the world. Well, fact is that the taurine in Red Bull is produced synthetically by pharmaceutical companies and is not derived from animals.

Taurine...

... is named after the Latin taurus which means bull or ox, as it was first isolated from ox bile in 1827

Improve this answer
1

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .