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Anyone who's cleaned out a minivan can attest that McDonald's food just...doesn't...age. A fresh-looking burger lies stiffly next to a completely rotted apple core. The fries scattered in the backseat are hard and cold, to be sure, but there's not a spot of mold on them. And it's been weeks since the kids had those Happy Meals! What gives?
There's long been speculation that this food fountain of youth is due to a massive amount of preservatives. But McDonald's maintains that their burgers, at least, are completely preservative-free.
The answer may not be quite as sinister as suspected. Although McDonald's hasn't actually fessed up to whether preservatives lurk in anything other than its burgers, there are scientific explanations for what Salon calls this "shelf life of the undead," and while they're not exactly scary, they're not exactly healthy, either. Rather than huge levels of chemicals, we're talking hefty servings of fat and salt.
"Anything that is high in fat will be low in moisture," Barry Swanson, professor at the Washington State University department of food science, told Salon. The higher the fat content, the lower the moisture; the lower the moisture, the less opportunity for mold cultures. Swanson also pointed out that the signature thinness of the McDonald's French fry adds another advantage -- there's greater surface exposure to heat during cooking, drying (and sterilizing) each fry. Then there's the salt -- which not only imparts flavor but also has been used as a natural preservative for centuries.
Could it really be that simple? Keep it fatty and salty, and you'll keep your food around longer? Maybe. But...let's not try this at home.
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9-07-2010 @9:33AM punchkic said... Why would you eat a burger you saw them get from a trash bin ? That alone tells me that you probably do not have good judgement. ( no offense )
9-02-2010 @3:26PM Michael Schmitt said... I love how everyone wants there to be a massive cover-up when it comes to our food supply. Those fries are dried out and salty... it is a preservation method that has been around for centuries.
Ever eat jerky?
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9-07-2010 @12:39PM Bud said... This crap is killing us, don't eat it! Just say no!!!
9-07-2010 @9:46AM BTDT said... "Keep it fatty and salty, and you'll keep your food around longer"
I'm pretty fatty and salty. Does this mean I'll live longer or just resist mold?
9-02-2010 @8:55PM Stephy said... Their burgers don't have preservatives?
Color me unconvinced: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/09/12-year-old-mcdonalds-hamburger-still-looking-good.html
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9-02-2010 @11:29PM Aaron said... Glad to see an article on Slashfood that actually promotes some true facts backed up by science and not propaganda. I would love to see more authors interview people in the Food Science and Nutrition community before posting about fad diets and "studies" that show what is bad for you.
I am a PhD student in Food Chemistry (yes chemistry, every particle you eat is made up of chemicals, don't be scared of chemicals....)
Another reason not really mentioned and the main reason for the lasting of all the "photo journal" burgers is the Water Activity(Aw) At a certain level of low water activity, mold and spoilage micro-organisms cannot grow any longer. Most of these photo journals of McDonald's burgers and fries have very little water activity to begin with because they are ordered plain and therefore they quickly dry out in low humidity environments, therefore effectively preserving them. I bet if you were to do tests on the burger it probably would have actually had lipid oxidation occur which causes rancidity.
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9-03-2010 @7:53AM dan said... Aaron said, "Glad to see an article on Slashfood that actually promotes some true facts backed up by science and not propaganda. I would love to see more authors interview people in the Food Science and Nutrition community before posting about fad diets and "studies" that show what is bad for you."
As a chemist myself, with a strong interest in food chemistry and nutrition, I totally agree with your statement. Unfortunately, the science crowd seems few and far between....
Read more: http://www.slashfood.com/2010/09/02/a-clue-to-the-mcdonalds-fountain-of-youth/#ixzz0ySz2LJZX
9-03-2010 @5:22PM Michael Schmitt said... Good to see that there are other Food Scientists out there reading these things!!!
9-04-2010 @6:10PM STH said... I suspect there isn't enough nutritional value in McDonald's food for mold to live on.
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9-07-2010 @6:22AM Lynxx said... Hmmmmm, maybe instead of embalming dead bodies, we should just pour a crapload of salt on them. It would certainly cut down the cost of funerals. >grin
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9-07-2010 @7:49AM Mark Hallen said... Chicken McNuggets contain dimethylpolysiloxane, a chemical that is also used in making Silly Putty®, that bouncy, stretchy stuff we played with as kids. My daughts hated McNuggets, which might explain why she was never very athletic.
The primary function of dimethylpolysiloxane, which is an “anti-foaming agent,” in the making of McNuggets is to prevent the frying oil from breaking down. I do not know what its function is when used in the manufacture of Silly Putty. Or caulking. That is correct. Your kids are eating an ingredient that is also used in the substance that seals off your bathtub.
You probably thought dimethylpolysiloxane was some sort of preservative, right? Hah! Shows what you know. That would be the tertiary butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), which is also an additive in lacquers and varnishes. That’s right: I said “varnishes,” not “garnishes.”
I guess I now also know why my daughter is neither shiny nor waterproof. (more at laughs4dads.com)
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9-07-2010 @9:10AM nan said... Wow! They are soooo evil. My children rarely every ate a McDonalds when they were young. We always made our food at home or ate somewhere else. We always called the place McDevils just like we call Taco Bell, Taco Hell, Kentucky Fried Choking, Wendys (Windys, if you get my drift lol), Murder King etc, etc, etc,. It's best to stick to home and make your own burgers, fries etc without all the fat and salt.
9-07-2010 @8:26AM rochemat said... There are many things that are questionable about your post. First of all, did you see them fish the burger out of the trash?? If so, why did you even consent to buying it?? Then, if the lettuce smelled rotten, and the meat was spoiled and the bun was hard around the edges from the microwave...I don't care how hungry I was, that never would have gone into my body, plus the smell would have taken the hunger away. I don't eat at McDonald's, and I've had food poisoning before, and I'm sorry you had to withstand such awful barfing sessions, but if you answered "yes" to the first question, with all due respect, you were pretty stupid to PAY and EAT something that you knew had been in the garbage.
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9-07-2010 @9:09AM nick said... Lisa,
You didn't read my post carefully. I said I got there at CLOSING TIME. It was 5 minutes to 9 p.m. and the workers had their coats on and were ready to leave. Do you think they got the machines dirty and all that for one burger??? No, they got it out of the trash, reheated it, and sold it to me. You need to read posts more clearly before you go on a tangent lambasting people's comments.
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9-07-2010 @9:32AM Steve said... Their highly touted Sweet Tea is loaded with preservatives. They add a quart of " MC Donalds sweetner and preservative " to each five gallon bucket made. The SWEETNER is corn syrup !! . However, this process varies as I have encountered those that just use sugar and no preservative.
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9-07-2010 @9:40AM Nick said... Steve,
I didn't actually "see" them get it from the trash. I can't see behind the counter or back in the food prep area. These people were dressed to go home. It was 5 minutes until they closed for the night. They would not get all of their machines dirty for one lousy burger, now would they? Since it smelled slightly spoiled (lettuce} I assume that it had been made quite some time ago. All they did was unwrap it and heat it in a microwave and sell it to me. I was very hungry, and nothing else was open in this little Pennsylvania town. I will never eat there again, or even use their bathroom. I wouldn't get a toothpick out of that place. That damn burger nearly killed me! It was a lifetime memorable experience. Eat there at your own risk.
9-07-2010 @10:52AM Terry said... I'm tired of these articles comparing cooked food to something fresh. I'm not saying that McDonald's or any fast food is good for you, but it's unfair for these people to be comparing the shelf life of something cooked to something raw. No comparison!
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9-07-2010 @10:56AM Brad said... McDonald's can't "go bad," because it starts out bad. I once saw an expose' on fast food burgers, especially theirs. They said that you could be eating the meat from 50 different animals in one burger from them. They analyzed the meat and there were actually cow feces in them. This is what parents are feeding their kids?
Wake up America, if you feed this garbage to your kids or yourselves you are neglecting good health.
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9-07-2010 @11:17AM artsychick said... The burgers don't go bad- they mummify. The ancient Egyptians primary ingredient used for mumification is natron- a naturally occuring substance that is chemically nearly identical to a combination of baking soda and table salt. The dry grey thin slab of McD's processed beef has lots and lots of salt. Stuff it between the fluffy processed practically nutritionally nil baking soda laden buns and-presto!- you've got natron. I wonder if King Tut smells like an old big mac.
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9-07-2010 @12:08PM mikevickisadirtynigger said... Our pathetic government conducts raids on family farms that privately sell organic foods, but approve of the garbage that is sold in fast food joints, not to mention the millions of FDA approved eggs that were contaminated with salmonella.Just another example of the hypocracy and corruption that is our beloved government.
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