In 2020, the American fast-food franchise Burger King featured its iconic Whopper burger covered in mold in an advertisement. With the slogan "The Beauty of No Artificial Preservatives," the ad showed a freshly made Whopper naturally rotting over 34 days, successfully delivering a powerful message about eliminating preservatives and artificial additives from burgers.

A recurring issue that appears in the media from time to time

"Do hamburgers really not rot?"

To verify the long-standing rumor, the Asia Economy Food and Beverage Team conducted an experiment themselves.

Experiment subjects: McDonald's, Mom's Touch, Lotteria, Burger King, KFC, Five Guys

The "non-rotting burger" is a recurring topic in the media. In 2020, a man in Utah, USA, discovered a McDonald's burger he had bought for 79 cents in 1999 in the pocket of a jacket he hadn't worn for a long time. He said, "The pickles, ketchup, and onions were shriveled up, but the bun and patty looked as if they had been cooked at least after the iPhone was invented (2007)."

Some people have conducted their own experiments to verify the rumor that burgers do not rot. In Iceland, Hjortur Smarason bought a cheeseburger on October 31, 2009, when McDonald's decided to close due to the financial crisis, and kept it at home for three years. The cheeseburger did not rot during that time, and he eventually held an exhibition featuring the burger at the National Museum of Iceland. The burger is now displayed at a hotel run by his friend in Iceland. Smarason described the last checked condition of the cheeseburger as "as fresh as ever."

Do burgers really not rot? To verify this long-standing rumor, the Asia Economy food and beverage team conducted their own experiment. The test subjects were the signature burgers from six brands available in the market: McDonald's, Mom's Touch, Lotteria, Burger King, KFC, and Five Guys.

On Monday the 7th, the burgers were purchased at the same time, unwrapped, and stored in transparent containers. The temperature in the Asia Economy studio in Chodong, Jung-gu, Seoul, where the boxes were placed, was between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius, with humidity levels between 50 and 75 percent. Due to the circumstances, the team focused on visual changes such as color and mold.

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Upon checking on the 14th, several burgers had started to rot within a week. Three out of six showed changes. Some burgers that still looked edible as of Friday afternoon on the 11th were found to have developed mold by Monday morning. These were the Thigh Burger from Mom's Touch, the Zinger Burger from KFC, and the Bacon Cheeseburger from Five Guys.

The most decomposed burger was the Bacon Cheeseburger from Five Guys. Large patches of white mold began to appear not only on the bun but also on the beef patty and tomato. There was no mold on the melted cheese. The Thigh Burger from Mom's Touch showed mold on the bun, chicken patty, and lettuce. The Zinger Burger from KFC developed similar mold on the bun and chicken patty.

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The remaining Big Mac from McDonald's, Bulgogi Burger from Lotteria, and Whopper from Burger King showed no visible changes. However, as the moisture from the lettuce evaporated, the buns seemed to engulf the beef patty and vegetables, causing the overall size to shrink significantly. In the case of the Big Mac, which consists of three buns and two beef patties, the lettuce was barely visible and appeared completely dried out.

The burger decomposition experiment will continue until all burgers have rotted. Since each burger contains different types and amounts of moist ingredients, it is difficult to conclude that a particular brand rots faster or slower. However, through this experiment, it may be possible to determine which brand's burger is the "immortal" burger that lasts the longest in the same temperature and humidity conditions.