No big changes. The hamburger didn't have any bad smell or odor to it. No bugs or flies. The only thing we noticed was the bread and meat becoming a bit more firm.
Days 3-4...
The outer edges of the meat and bread were starting to harden a little more. The centers of both were still a bit spongy and the meat was getting darker around the edges.
Days 5-7...
Pretty much the same as above. Day 7 is when we really started to notice the hamburger patty shrinking.
On Day 9, we noticed the bun was starting to crack in the center. By Day 10, everything was as hard as a rock and the patty was much darker. Still no smells, no bugs, no nothing.
Wednesday (the 15th) will be the final day of our hamburger experiment. By that time, the hamburger will officially be 2 weeks old. We are pretty much bored with this experiment. Perhaps we'll finish off the experiment by trying to crack the hamburger and bun to pieces with hammers. I think the kids would like that ;) I will post one last review on this experiment including some video clips of the kids thoughts on this whole thing.
I think the most interesting thing about this experiment is that the bugs and flies don't want it! Let's say you kick this experiment up a notch and cook hamburgers at home. Leave one of those out and see what happens regarding the bugs and flies. I betcha the flies would come, which would result in maggots within a couple days and eventually deteriation (sp?) of the meat patty. I am sure you would see the same result with the buns as the McD's one, unless you make homemade buns. Anyway, I find this all very interesting. We have way too much preservative in our foods if it won't break down. Thanks for sharing your pics. I have watched some videos on youtube, etc., but have not noticed the patty shrinking. I would guess that is from all the moisture evaporating out of it.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is ... EWWW. Thanks for keeping us up to date! I can't wait to see the videos of the kids' commentary!!
ReplyDeleteShannon - I do want to try it with a real home-made hamburger so the kids can see how a real hamburger is supposed to break down, BUT I don't know if I could stand it. I nearly vomit when I clean something that I have 'forgotten' about in the fridge and it is covered in mold. And the smell!!!! Yuk!!! I don't know if I could handle that combined with maggots and flies and who knows what else. Maybe I can leave it outside for observation somehow and manage to keep the stray animals from eating it long enough to see it start to decay.
ReplyDeleteI would have a hard time with it, too.
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