McDonald's Miraculous, Anti-Aging Burgers

OK, so maybe they're less miraculous in a Lazareth-rising-from-the-grave kind of way and more terrifying in zombie-undead type of scenario. Put them through hell and high water or leave them exposed to air for months on end — McDonald's burgers and french fries just refuse to sprout any mold.

It's a fact that, while alarming, sparks my curiosity and many other people's, too. Sally Davies, a New York photographer, is the most recent person to marvel at the lifespan of the fast food chain's offerings. Davies started the Happy Meal Project, an art/science experiment where she purchased a Happy Meal, left the hamburger and french fries out on a table, and photographed the meal every few days. After more than 150 days, the burger and fries look as if they've been pumped full of Botox. In other words, a bit withered, but overall pretty similar to their original state.

Davies' project is just one out of a handful of experiments to see how long the Golden Arches' vittles can sit around without decomposing or even spoiling. According to a Salon story, one burger reached middle school-age and still looked fresh. One woman carried a burger around in her purse for four years, while another meal went more than a year without even showing the first hints of spoilage.

So what is this witchcraft that keeps Mickey D's fast food staying young and spry long into its old age? Mostly fat. And salt. And in some cases, preservatives.

According to Salon, both McDonald's burgers and french fries (and let's face it, most other offerings at the Golden Arches) contain extremely high levels of fat and salt. Fat makes up about 50 percent of the fries' caloric content and 35-to-54 percent of the burger patties'. High levels of fat leave less room for moisture, which prevents mold from sprouting. Large amounts of salt act as a natural preservative — and a surefire way to develop high-blood pressure.

As for the firm buns, those contain two preservatives, calcium propionate and sodium propionate. However, according to Salon, the rolls don't contain any more preservatives than traditional supermarket white bread, which makes me wonder if McDonald's buns don't contain something else that keeps them mold-free for months — nay, years — on end.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time the Golden Arches slipped some seriously unnatural ingredients into its meals. As I blogged about before, Chicken McNuggets contain dimethylpolysiloxane, a form of silicone that's also found in silly putty. The chicken-y bits also come packed with tertiary butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), a petroleum-based preservative.

To be fair, McDonald's meals do have to pass safety inspections just like everything else, so the amounts of preservatives found in the food supposedly don't cause health risks. But as for me, I think folks should treat McDonald's food just like vampires, another undead entity. Sure, they're pretty and you really want to believe they won't hurt you — but after one bite, you'll wish you stayed away.

Photo credit: VirtualErn via Flickr