We already brought you part one of our list of the top 10 disgusting fast food secrets, and now we’re back with part two! Check out five more repulsive and vomit-inducing secrets of the fast food industry that just might have you swearing off the stuff for good. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Five: Dimethylpolysiloxane in Fried Food. Dimethylpolysiloxane is a product found in silly putty, and in fact, if you’ve eaten anything that’s been fried in a fast food restaurant, you’ve probably eaten dimethylpolysiloxane. The compound helps to prevent the fryer oil from getting foamy.
Number Four: TBHQ in Everything. TBHQ is synthesized from petroleum, and it’s mostly used in cosmetics, lacquers, resins, and other skincare products. However, TBHQ has been found in 18 menu items at Mcdonald’s. The FDA only allows 0.02 percent of a food to be composed of TBHQ because just five grams of the stuff is lethal to humans.
Number Three: Cellulose in Ice Cream. Cellulose comes from wood pulp – yum! Not. In food, cellulose is used as a thickener in place of the more expensive flour and oil. Cellulose can be found in ice cream, salad dressing, syrups, and just about any thick liquid or substance that fast food restaurants desire.
Number Two: Ammonium Sulfate in Bread. Ammonium sulfate is a soil fertilizer, but did you know it can also be a yeast fertilizer as well? Though we doubt any McDonald’s executive is going to go around talking about their company’s great “yeast fertilizer,” the truth is that you’re eating the same stuff designed to kill bugs in the dirt.
Number One: Carminic Acid for Coloring. Carminic acid is synthesized from a beetle called the cochineal beetle. To make carminic acid, these special beetles are first dried out and crushed, and then the red properties of the beetles are extracted. The resulting red dye is used in many products, including toppings, marinades, meats, sausages, and pastries. So if you’re especially grossed out by bugs, you might want to stop eating, well, everything at just about every fast food restaurant that currently exists.
