McDonald's says that, as of last August, it no longer uses ammonium hydroxide (above photo) in the production of its hamburgers. This chemical, used in fertilizers, household cleaners and even homemade explosives, was also used to prepare McDonalds' hamburger meat.
(yummy)
To may also want to know about some other chemicals being used in the production of some popular foods:
The International Business Times lists some other questionable chemicals showing up in our foods:
Propylene glycol: This chemical is very similar to ethylene glycol, a dangerous anti-freeze. This less-toxic cousin prevents products from becoming too solid. Some ice creams have this ingredient; otherwise you'd be eating ice.
Carmine: Commonly found in red food coloring, this chemical comes from crushed cochineal, small red beetles that burrow into cacti. Husks of the beetle are ground up and forms the basis for red coloring found in foods ranging from cranberry juice to M&Ms.
Shellac: that's right, the same chemical used to finish wood products also gives some candies their sheen. It comes from the female Lac beetle.
L-cycsteine: This common dough enhancer comes from hair, feathers, hooves and bristles.
So, back to McDonald's.
Why did they make the change?
In a statement, McDonald's says:
"At the beginning of 2011, we made a decision to discontinue the use of ammonia-treated beef in our hamburgers. This product has been out of our supply chain since August of last year. This decision was a result of our efforts to align our global standards for how we source beef around the world."
The U.S. Agriculture Department classifies the chemical as "generally recognized as safe."
The food industry uses ammonium hydroxide as an anti-microbial agent in meats, which allows McDonald's to use otherwise "inedible meat."
