Buzzfeed has recently released a clip in which hamburgers from several different fast food chains stay for a month in a glass jar. Finally, some are covered with mold, and others (particularly those of McDonalds) do not look much different than the first day.
This is not the first such demonstration. The result, however, seems rather embarrassing. The video does not offer an explanation. In his description, he writes only, "The less so it seems, the worse the result is."
Is there something so weird about McDonalds and Jack In The Box in comparison to the other chains?
Not really.
Kenji Lopez, a professional chef and managing director of Serious Eats, is conducting an experiment based on 5 different hypotheses about what makes the food not moldy - the presence of a special preservative in meat or bread, high salt content, low moisture content, no contact with mold spores or lack of air during production. The latest hypotheses automatically drop out because air and mold spores are everywhere and there is no way to make a sandwich in a vacuum.
It turns out that the list of ingredients (including preservatives, enhancers, etc.) in McDonalds' breads and meats is no different than that of other chains of the same type. So Lopez decides to test the McDonalds hamburgers by comparing them to a few that he has made in his own kitchen. Makes various combinations with cakes and stuffing - from McDonalds and home made. Three weeks later, the McDonalds sandwiches did not spoil. Like the rest. The home-made hamburger with unsalted meat does not look different than the salt with salt, indicating that salt is not a factor.
It turns out that the humidity level is decisive. All hamburgers have lost a quarter of their weight in the first week, indicating that they are withered. The mold can not grow without moisture. And since McDonalds makes the slices of meat in the hamburger quite flat and thin, it quickly dries before it starts to spoil. Similar is the principle of dried meat. If the McDonalds hamburger is sealed in a plastic bag, it will cover with mold for only one week.
From the Buzzfeed clip, it can be concluded that the different chains make filling for hamburgers of varying thickness or use more moisture-enhancing ingredients (for example, more sauces). This does not mean that food in McDonalds contains some mysterious and more horrifying ingredients than Burger King or another chain. And it does not mean fast food is not harmful - salt and sugar in much of McDonald's products exceeded the recommended daily standards, not to mention the ethical and environmental considerations that can make us avoid buying food from similar chains.
Images links:
https://pixabay.com/en/abstract-barbeque-bbq-beauty-beef-1238246/
https://pixabay.com/en/eat-food-remove-almost-time-3236971/
https://pixabay.com/en/hamburger-cheeseburger-burger-lunch-576419/
