The Secret Ingredients From Everyone’s Favorite McDonald’s Items

1. Big Mac sauce: sweet pickle relish and mustard

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Everyone was desperate to know what was actually inside the big mac sauce. It's often called secret sauce and special sauce because people love it and the internet was determined to discover the secret ingredients. Well, here it is...the full recipe: sweet pickle relish, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, white vinegar, and paprika!

2. Fries: beef flavoring

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Why are Maccies fries just the best ever? There's just something different, something tastier about fries from McDonald's. Well, it could be due to the fact that they're actually covered in BEEF flavoring. Although not everywhere has this, for example in the UK, the fries are only dipped in veggie oil.

3. Chicken McNuggets: yeast extract

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The chicken nuggets from McDonald's aren't just a simple case of breaded chicken. There's more to it than that. Yeast extract (derived from yeast cells) is added to the mixture to enhance the taste and texture of the chicken nuggets. Whatever it is, they taste good.

4. Big Mac: American cheese slice

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It may come as no surprise to most of the USA that the Big Mac contains American cheese slices in partial. But, it's the same all over. This cheese is pasteurized heavily and processed more than the majority of cheeses to give it that iconic 'rubbery' texture.

5. McMuffins: Roast N Fry

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McMuffins are not just made simply from bread. Oh, no. Normal bread can't be THAT tasty surely. McMuffins are made with 'Roast N Fry', which is a liquid vegetable and dairy fat blend. It makes the McMuffin completely tasty even on its own without the filling.

6. Fillet-O-Fish: McDonald's Tartar Sauce

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It may sound obvious, that the Fillet-O-Fish contains tartar sauce. However, some people may not know as the tartar sauce is made in-house with special ingredients that only McDonald's knows. However, it does contain some sweet relish pickle, and mustard just as with the Big Mac Sauce...

7. McChicken: garlic powder

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A McChicken is a classic McDonald's staple that never disappoints, and it's inexpensive. It's also SUPER tasty. And, a secret ingredient of the McChicken burger is the garlic powder. And it makes sense because let's face it, anything with garlic in it tastes good, right?

8. Quarter Pounder: sesame oil

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The quarter pounder is placed on a sesame bun. The whole thing is just yummy. But a secret ingredient besides these two staple ingredients is that there is actually sesame oil added too, and it has a really distinctive taste. So if there's something special about the quarter pounds, it could be this secret ingredient.

9. Apple Pie: malic acid

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The apple pie from McDonald's has a perfect consistency and, the crunchy outside layer of pastry but the soft shell inside and the apple is tart but sweet. The apple pie contains something called malic acid, which is a naturally occurring acid that is used to enhance the flavors.

10. McFlurry: lots of thickening agents

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Have you ever wondered how McDonald's ice cream has that super thick and creamy texture? It's not quite like any other ice cream. This could be because of the secret ingredient...lots of thickening agents! For example, cellulose gum and guar gum are thickeners and stabilizers used in McFlurry's.

11. Hamburger: extra preservatives

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Unfortunately, the secret ingredient in a McDonald's cheese burger isn't appetizing at all. The cheeseburgers have hit the internet before due to the fact that they never seem to decompose! This is because of the secret load of preservatives which are added heavily to the hamburgers!

12. Double bacon cheeseburger: turmeric

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The double bacon cheeseburger has a very secret ingredient. This is a tiny bit of turmeric! Not only does turmeric have a super yellow appearance but it also has a lot of natural; sweetness. There is a tiny bit added to the bacon to help its appearance and taste!

13. Egg McMuffin: Canadian bacon

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The egg McMuffin is super specific when it comes to what kind of bacon they use and where it comes from. The egg McMuffin always contains Canadian bacon because it has a sweetness and texture which is unlike other types of bacon. There's the secret!

14. McRib: smoke flavor

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Usually, the smokey flavor of ribs comes from the way they are cooked on the grill. Unfortunately, there are no barbecue grills at McDonald's. Instead, they are cooked just like every other item, but the smoke flavoring is added to give them that rib taste. They are also formed from the ground-up pork shoulder and molded into shape!

15. McWrap: whey protein

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Who knew that you were getting a double punch of protein when you order the McWrap? The whey protein is added to the breadcrumb consistency to give it some extra taste and flavor. All of the people trying to up their protein content will live with this secret ingredient!

16. McShake: corn syrup

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The McShakes are delicious. They're so thick that it practically feels like you; 're just slurping ice cream. And, they're sweet. In some places, corn syrup has been banned, but in others, McDonald's still uses corn syrup to give the McShakes their sweetness and taste.

17. Ranch salad: high fructose corn syrup

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You pick the salad and you feel pretty proud that you've made such a healthy choice when you could've easily had the burger. But, the ranch sauce kinda ruins it in terms of its 'healthiness'. The ranch sauce is full of high fructose corn syrup which is not beneficial for our health.

18. Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit: liquid margarine and dehydrated milk

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The bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit also has two secret ingredients of liquid margarine and dehydrated milk. Both of these give the biscuit a creamier texture. It is added onto the biscuit as well as into the mixture, it helps with both the texture and the taste!

19. Hash brown: sweeteners

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Hash browns are one of the most popular orders, especially for breakfast. Because they're so good, they; 're crispy and tasty. And it turns out not so healthy...who'd ever have guessed! Okay, so we knew they weren't healthy but we didn't know that they contain sweeteners!

20. McCrispy: soy protein concentrate

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The McCrispy actually contains soy protein concentrate which is a vegetarian kind of protein derived from soya beans. It is used as a binder to put all of the ingredients together and to create the perfect crispy texture that characterizes the McCrispy.

21. Cheeseburger: a seaweed extract

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The fact that the McDonald's cheeseburger contains seaweed extract will probably come as a complete chock. But it contains something called propylene glycol alginate, which is a thickening agent that is derived from seaweed. It's added to help with the consistency.

22. Chicken selects: paprika extract

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Chicken selects secret ingredient is a paprika extract. Paprika is of course a delicious spice that adds colour and flavor to chicken. It makes sense that chicken selects are so deliciously tasty. That's not to say of course that there could also be some added preservatives too!

23. Mozzarella dippers: cornstarch

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Mozzarella dippers are not a consistent feature on the Mcdonald's menu but they do come and go very frequently. When they are on, they're extremely popular. The reason that they have that iconic crispy layer on the outside is all down to the corn starch.

24. Coca-Cola: syrup

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Everyone always says, there's something about the McDonald's Coke that just hits the spot. It's not like normal Coke, so what is the secret ingredient? We're afraid to say that it could be extra syrup. Yep, that's EVEN more sugar in your Coke. There's also added water too!

25. Sausage burrito: sodium phosphates

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The sausage burrito is a part of the breakfast menu and contains a secret ingredient, something called sodium phosphates. Sodium is a kind of salt, and it is added to help keep the moisture in the burrito and also add to the taste and bring out the flavors.

26. Hotcakes: butter and syrup

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Hotcakes sound about as delicious as they are. And with the secret ingredients, it's not hard to imagine why. They contain butter and lots of syrup which is why they are so moreish. The butter gives that creamy texture and of course, the syrup makes them super sweet!

27. Grilled chicken: egg white

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Grilled chicken is usually considered to be the healthier option when getting a Maccies. This is because it hasn't got the bread crumb coating on and so it contains fewer fats. The grilled chicken mixture does however contain egg white, which is a little bit weird if you think about it!

28. Sesame bun: sweeteners

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More sweeteners...but this time in the savory dishes! One of the reasons that the McDonald's burgers are so good and so addictive is because the bread contains so much sugar. Sweeteners are added to it which makes the whole thing undeniably good to taste.

29. Scrambled egg: powder

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You've heard the rumors about the eggs. Is it true? Unfortunately, it may be true in places. The scrambled egg in some places is made of a powdered mixture. But, the round eggs are made of fresh fried eggs! So there's a better option if you feel a little bit weird about eating a powdered egg.

30. McPlant burger: mustard

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The McPlant burger is a relatively new revelation for the McDonald's menu. It now serves the veggie and in some places vegan market. One of the recurring things we find with McDonald's secret ingredients is that there is some mustard added without ever knowing.