What's really in YOUR burger?

[Guest Kurt]

What's really in YOUR burger? Tests reveal traces of rat and human DNA - and veggie options containing beef, scientists say

• Scientists examined 258 burgers and veggie varieties from 79 brands
• Found 3 tested positive for rat DNA, while one contained human DNA
• 23% of vegetarian options were problematic with two containing beef 
•  

The are arguably the bedrock of American cuisine, a staple on pub menus the world over.

But, a new study has revealed more may be lurking in your burger than you anticipated.

Experiments carried out on 258 anonymized samples of ground meat, frozen patties, fast-food burgers and veggie varieties from 79 brands spanning 22 retailers.

 

Using state-of-the-art genomic sequencing, scientists at Clear Labs, screened the products for authenticity, examining them for nutrition-content accuracy, including calories, carbohydrates, fat and protein.

But, their investigations revealed some unexpected results.

Experiments carried out on 258 anonymized samples of ground meat, frozen patties, fast-food burgers and veggie options revealed you might be getting more than you bargained for when ordering a burger

 

 

+4

Three tested positive for rat DNA, while another one contained traces of human DNA, the tests revealed

Three samples tested positive for rat DNA, while one contained traces of human DNA, the researchers revealed.

Thirteen per cent of all the products were found to be 'problematic', but that figure rose to 23.6 per cent when the scientists examined the vegetarian products.

Of those, two samples contained traces of beef DNA, while one black bean burger contained no black beans at all.

 

Another finding was that 4.3 per cent of samples contained traces of pathogenic DNA - disease causing viruses or bacteria. 
The researchers noted all tests are run through a secondary analysis pipeline and scrubbed for statistical accuracy and error.
Responding to the findings, Dr Michael Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia, said the presence of these specific germs may not be as problematic to people as they first appear.
'Finding the DNA of salmonella or E.coli from a dead cell is not very helpful,' he said.
Thirteen per cent of all the products were found to be 'problematic', but that figure rose to 23.6 per cent when the scientists examined the vegetarian products. Of those, two samples contained traces of beef DNA, while one black bean burger contained no black beans at all

Thirteen per cent of all the products were found to be 'problematic', but that figure rose to 23.6 per cent when the scientists examined the vegetarian products. Of those, two samples contained traces of beef DNA, while one black bean burger contained no black beans at all
'Secondly, the pathogens they find, such as Yersinia enterocolitica and Aeromonas hydrophila, are not of common concern in foods.
'In terms of Clostridium perfrigens, you usually need to have millions of cells in the food in order to cause illness.
'And, it's not uncommon to find low levels in meats, which contain some C. perfringens naturally.' 
The researchers encountered several cases of substitutions and unexpected ingredients, with some meat found that was not stipulated on labels.
In many cases these included the unexpected addition of chicken or turkey.
The researchers wrote: 'Unexpected ingredients pose safety risks - when ingredients are present in a product and not reported on the label there is an increased potential for adverse allergic reactions.
'They also have important cultural implications.
'Certain religions, for example, forbid the consumption of some meat products.'
As well as unexplained ingredients and pathogens, the scientists also noted inaccurate nutritional labeling was a problem across the board.
Forty-six per cent of the samples contained more calories than reported on labels or menus.
The report noted: 'Among these 119 samples, we observed an average of 39.6 more calories per serving than reported on labels or menus. In 49% of the samples, we observed more carbohydrates than reported on labels or menus. Among these 127 samples we observed an average of 4.2 grams more carbohydrates per sample.'
 Human DNA was detected in one frozen vegetarian burger, while three samples tested positive for rat DNA. The scientists note despite this, the traces were unlikely to be harmful to human health

 Human DNA was detected in one frozen vegetarian burger, while three samples tested positive for rat DNA. The scientists note despite this, the traces were unlikely to be harmful to human health
The report states: 'Considering that FDA labeling requirements make it mandatory for most fast food restaurants to publish nutritional information on fast food menus, these discrepancies are potentially worrisome for customers who make decisions about what to order based on calorie counts and other available nutritional information.'
'Rather than having to run different tests to identify specific ingredients, pathogens, or contaminants, we can look blindly into samples, at scale, and monitor food-supply chains like never before,' said Mahni Ghorashi, co-founder of Clear Labs. 
Meanwhile Clear Labs CEO and co-founder, Sasan Amini, added: 'In conducting our food category analyses and synthesizing our findings, we're providing the food industry with actionable insights while building out our relational database, the industry's largest collection of reference molecular signatures.'

Source:Mail Online
 

[Queen Esther]

I'm  SO  glad,  NO  Burger - shops  in  my  nearness... I'm  not  endangered !  Poor  humans, also  kiddies,  they're  regulars  there  ;-(

My  burgers  are  selfmade  like  by  Granny's  in  the  past !  Things,  I've  in  my  cooler  coming  in,  first  fresh  ground meat,  diff. spices, herbs, onions, a little  mustard  and  special  ketchup...  Its  curious,  the  taste  is  always  a little  different,  but  wow  ;o)

The  ground meat - small balls  for  the  recipe  *Königsberger - Klopse*  of  course  different,  working  to  that  special  taste,  hmmm....