What prompted Ben Katz to analyze Taco Bell meat, and what did he find?

Ben Katz was prompted to analyze Taco Bell meat after musing, 'I wonder if there’s any real meat in a Taco Bell?' while on a lunch break at UC Irvine in 2023. Using high-performance mass spectrometry equipment in his lab, he identified the presence of carnosine and carnitine—two biomolecules that serve as definitive chemical markers of real meat—confirming that the product contained actual animal tissue.

Why did Ben Katz’s video analyzing a discarded Flume Mello vape become his most popular?

Katz’s video analyzing a discarded Flume Mello vape became his most popular because it involved an unusually gritty, real-world forensic-style analysis: he found the used vape 'on the side of the road, where it had been baking in the sun, and somebody had already smoked it,' turning the investigation into what he described as 'analyzing trash'—a scenario that strongly resonated with his followers and highlighted the accessibility and curiosity-driven appeal of his work.

Ben Katz Will 'Mass Spec Everything' to Figure Out What Is in Our Food

Jul 21, 2026

UC Irvine engineer Ben Katz used mass spectrometry to confirm meat content in Taco Bell items by detecting specific molecules like carnosine and carnitine. This successful analysis inspired his social media series dedicated to identifying ingredients in everyday food products.

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2026-07-21

Ben Katz Will 'Mass Spec Everything' to Figure Out What Is in Our Food

Ben Katz Will 'Mass Spec Everything' to Figure Out What Is in Our Food

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