McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets contain over 20 ingredients, including dimethylpolysiloxane and tBHQ. The recipe varies by region, but all nuggets are made with fortified chicken and a breading made of cornmeal, spices, and other additives.
Chicken McNuggets are a popular item on the McDonald’s menu. The recipe for these nuggets requires more than 20 ingredients. Available internationally, these bite-sized pieces of chicken contain different components depending on the region or country where they are sold. Not all ingredients are immediately recognized as real food products. McDonald’s-based chains in the United States (USA) came under media fire in 2010 due to the company’s use of silicon-based polymer and chemical preservatives in its McNuggets chickens.
Introduced in the early 1980s, McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets recipe has remained fairly consistent ever since. Since 2003 nuggets are made with all white meat. Before being breaded, the chicken is fortified with additional ingredients, including wheat starch, dextrose, autolyzed yeast extract and sodium phosphates.
The breading is made up of several other ingredients, including an antifoaming agent called dimethylpolysiloxane. A food additive, this agent is used in a variety of processed foods. McDonald’s isn’t the only company to employ it, as the defoamer is found in grocery store items and fast food menus across the nation. It is also a component of everyday items such as children’s toys and cosmetics.
Dimethylpolysiloxane is added to the nuggets as a safety precaution. According to McDonald’s, it does not add any flavor properties. Studies have also shown that dimethylpolysiloxane is harmless to health if not consumed in excessive amounts.
Every McDonald’s restaurant receives cyclical shipments of frozen food items, including chicken McNuggets. These nuggets are kept frozen in packs until ready for consumption. At that point, frozen chicken pieces are poured into hot oil to create fried chicken. If dimethylpolysiloxane were not added to the nuggets, the vats of oil they are fried in could foam on top. This could cause severe burns and damage to the restaurant.
Chicken McNuggets also contain tBHQ, which stands for tertiary butylhydroquinone. It is added to keep the chicken fresh. Although it is used in very small quantities, nausea may occur after ingestion of TBHQ.
McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets also contain ingredients responsible for the distinctive taste. There are just a few components, however, that may seem familiar to the average diner. Along with the chicken and the aforementioned ingredients, salt, rosemary and canola oil are used. Yellow cornmeal and a variety of spices are used in the breading.
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