The McExperiment part one: what I bought and why I'm doing this

I was the maccas kid. I lived for those Friday afternoons where my mum would take me to the local maccas for a happy meal. My toy collection from those meals is phenomenal and possibly collectible. I chowed down on those burgers because it was yummy, and it was good for me, right? right??

There have been many experiments with maccas burgers around the world, some of the more famous ones include the bionic burger (the video is lower down), and the photo series by American photographer Sally Davies gained media exposure as well. I also have friends who have had burgers for a number of years and it doesn't change. But what is it exactly that makes the burger not age?

There are a few thoughts on this...

Is it the preservatives?

This is the most common thought of why the burgers seem to stay preserved, which makes sense, because preservatives preserve things! I went onto the Australian maccas website, and this was the ingredient list for cheeseburgers:

REGULAR BUN: Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Canola), Iodised Salt, Gluten, Soy Flour, Preservative (282), Emulsifiers (471, 472e, 481), Malt Flour, Mineral Salt (170), Antioxidant (300, 304, 307, 330), Enzyme (1100), Vitamin (Thiamin, Folate).

BEEF PATTIES: Beef (100%).

CHEESE: Cheese (Milk, Salt, Culture, Enzyme (rennet)), Water, Milk Solids, Butter, Emulsifiers (340, 452, 331), Salt, Acidity Regulators (260, 330, 339), Colours (160b, 160c), Preservative (200), Soy Lecithin.

KETCHUP: Water, Tomato Paste, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glucose Syrup, Vinegar, Salt, Spice.

PICKLE: Cucumber, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Preservatives (202, 211), Flavour.

ONION: Water, Dehydrated White Onion.

MUSTARD:Water, Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Colour (100), Spice, Flavour.

FRIES: Potato, Canola Oil & Sunflower Oil, Dextrose, Mineral Salt (450), Antioxidant (320). OR Potato, 

Canola Oil Blend, Antioxidant (320), Food Acid (330), Antifoam (900a), Dextrose.

 Things to note:

• Preservative 282 has been linked to causing mood swings and sleep disturbances in children
• Mineral salt 170 is calcium carbonate - often used as a calcium supplement in brands like caltrate, but this form of calcium is not easily absorbed and also reduces stomach acids (which helps digests foods) and is also linked to causing Milk-Alkali syndrome - a condition which can cause kidney failure and hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the body)
• Colour 160b - annatto extracts, bixin, norbixin - is recommended to be avoided due causing adverse reactions such as headaches, irritability, attention disturbances, headbanging in young children, skin rashes, sleep disturbances... nice hey?
• Preservative 200 - sorbic acid - is recommended to be avoided as it can cause skin irritations, asthma and behavioural problems 
• High fructose corn syrup can be translated to mean super refined sugar crap. It is cheap to produce which is why it is in so many foods. It interferes with your metabolism by slowing down leptin - the hormone which tells you when you're full and to stop eating. No leptin, no fullness!
• Preservative 202 - potassium sorbate has been linked to allergic reactions, skin irritations and behavioural problems and recommended to be avoided
• Preservative 211 - sodium benzoate has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. This additive is common in fizzy drinks and Fanta drinkers beware - research indicates that when this preservative is mixed with vitamin C, it becomes carcinogenic!
• Colour 100 - turmeric is cautioned to those with a salicylate or amine allergy due to the concentration levels
• Synthetic antioxidants are often overlooked, as people assume because its an antioxidant, its ok to eat. Some people get reactions after a single dose of one of these, however there are thoughts that a build up effect in the body can cause problems in people as well. What have they been linked to? irritability, restlessness and difficulty falling asleep; mood swings, anxiety, depression, panic attacks; inattention, difficulty concentrating or debilitating fatigue; eczema, itchy skin rashes, reflux, bloating, abdominal pain, stomach aches and other irritable bowel symptoms including constipation; headaches or migraines; frequent colds, flu, bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, stuffy or runny nose, throat clearing, cough or asthma; joint pain and arthritis.

So from the ingredients there are a couple of nasties in there, but there are some things to consider:

• The beef patty is 100% beef - but what part of the cow? was it given hormones or antibiotics? Was it sick?
• The mustard has flavour - umm... thats a broad statement! What IS flavour exactly?
• The bun contains soy flour - Soy is a very controversial topic, if it is whole soybean, organic, non-GMO, then a big thumbs up, but something tells me its not.

Definitely some of these ingredients would be inhibiting bacteria growth and it also seems to keep all the cockroaches and mice away as well.

This video from the bionic burger man gives a list of the ingredients in the American beef patty - I think it would be a bit naive to assume we don't get any of these.

Is it the packaging?

Some people think that it's the fact that the burger has been allowed to dry out that preserves it. There have been experiments where a range of burgers have been put into plastic bags where the moisture causes condensation which causes mould to grow.
I'm keeping mine in the original bag in room temperature in my office. Surely that would mean it would attract some form of rodent? Time will tell!

Is it the fat content?

One site said that mould and fat don't mix, so is it the high fat content which turns mould off these products? Cheeseburgers have 11.2% fat, the fries have 19% fat. Is that enough to keep mould at bay? I will keep researching on this.

So this blog entry is long enough now to give you an idea why I'm doing this McExperiment. In future blogs on this, I will look further into reasons why the burger stays normal (if it does stay the same!) and also I will explore the age old question - What is Grimace anyway? Has anyone else wondered this??

Stay tuned! :)