Sometimes when you see meat in the grocery store is it really blood you see or is it in fact, bad meat and the meat clerk simply added food dye and water to cover up the brown decaying meat?
2007-01-31 04:52:27 · 6 answers · asked by asgrafxx 3 in Food & Drink ➔ Other - Food & Drink
IT'S NOT BLOOD AND ITS NOT DYE.
The fluid is mostly water that is colored red by the same thing that makes red appear red: myoglobin.
myoglobin is an iron containing protein that transfers oxygen from the blood to the muscles of the animal. Muscles which are used more will contain more myoglobin, (since they require more oxygen), and will be redder or darker in color. Take chicken for example. A chicken uses its legs far more than it’s breast muscles and hence, they are darker. Moreover, there are different kinds of myoglobin and some are redder than others. pH, (a measure of acidity vs. alkalinity), also affects meat color. Beef is redder than pork because of the amount and types of myoglobin and the pH. And these chemical differences are not good or bad, healthy or unhealthy.
2007-01-31 05:12:19 · answer #1 · answered by Chef Mark 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The vast majority of the blood is drained when the animal is processed. What you are actually seeing is the fluid that hangs around in the cells weeping out as the meat ages and the cell walls break down.
Largely water, colored with a few red blood cells, it is harmless as long as the meat is stored properly. When very fresh, the meat will be almost purple and dark, after exposure to oxygen, a bright red, and as it dries and ages, brown.
When you get your meat home, if you're not going to prepare it immediately, it is best to remove that fluid and repackage the meat for proper freezing or storage in the fridge for a few days. The watery stuff is a quick way for stray bacteria to get access to your expensive purchase! Yuck!
No reputable butcher would risk his shop with dyes or attempts to cover up bad meat. One case of illness can bring down the authorities in job lots. It's just not worth the risk to any sane person's business.
Best wishes!
2007-01-31 05:11:10 · answer #2 · answered by HeldmyW 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
After talking to several people who work in the grocery business, I have learned, that it's red because of the blood. AND it's brown not because it's starting to turn, or it's old, it's just been sitting and the blood is leaching out.
I agree, blood stinks - just like a package of meat does when you open it. The smell is the exact same. (I once stayed at a Hotel next to a slaughter house - that's a smell I will never forget - it was the only hotel in town though :( )
2007-01-31 05:05:12 · answer #3 · answered by IamMARE 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's dye, not blood. The blood is drained out of the animal at the slaughterhouse. Also, blood STINKS, and it's thick.
Also, if the meat is decaying, it would have a bad odor as well.
2007-01-31 04:59:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
beef is better when aged... a little of the brown discoloration is not a bad thing. it becomes more tender and flavorful if aged properly. (21 days is upper end)
2007-01-31 04:58:38 · answer #5 · answered by bilko_ca 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, it's really blood.
2007-01-31 04:56:50 · answer #6 · answered by Shari 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋