Why Is Beef So Dark Colored

Meat Science and Nutrition

Meat Colour

The post mortem color evolution of meat varies profoundly from 1 species to some other, with variations in fresh beef being very prominent. Beef shows a range of colour from offset being cut to the end of its shelf life (about three days).

Typical meat colour for different species is shown in Table 3.

Tabular array 3 Typical colour of meat from dissimilar species

Species	Colour
Beef	Bright cherry red
Fish	Pure white to grey-white or pinkish to nighttime red
Horse	Dark cerise
Lamb and mutton	Light red to brick ruby-red
Pork	Greyish pink
Poultry	Grey-white to deadening ruddy
Veal	Brownish pinkish

Meat colour is significant to consumer acceptance of products. The brilliant red colour of skillful quality beef, sockeye salmon, and young lamb are naturally appealing, whereas the paler colours of veal and other fish species are less appealing to many (although more sought after by some ethnic groups). Dark meats such as horse are more popular in Quebec and European countries. Mutton (sheep over 12 months of age with darker flesh) appeals to an fifty-fifty smaller range of customers.

Factors Affecting Colour

Employ of Muscles

Poultry provides a proficient opportunity to see and learn about the differences in meat colour. Meat cutters and cooks may often be asked why different parts of a chicken have and other parts have , or why duck or game birds have mostly dark meat.

The colour of the meat is adamant past how the muscle is used. Upland game birds, such as and grouse, that fly but for short bursts have white breast meat. In contrast, ducks and geese and virtually other game birds that fly long distances have exclusively night meat. In domestic poultry (chickens and turkeys), there is a difference between breasts (white meat) and thighs and drumsticks (night meat).

Note: Chicken thighs, even when fully cooked, may have a carmine tinge and blood seepage from the thigh bone. This is normal; notwithstanding, inexperienced customers may interpret this as a sign of non existence cooked properly.

Proteins

Meat colour is associated with ii proteins: (in the muscle) and (in the claret). When animals are no longer alive and air comes in contact with the meat, myoglobin reacts with oxygen in an endeavor to achieve a state of equilibrium, at which point no further changes occur. Equally this process happens, the meat color goes through three stages and three colours that are easy to meet, especially on freshly cutting beef meats.

1. Purplish red (myoglobin): occurs immediately after a is sliced.
2. Cherry scarlet (oxymyoglobin): occurs several minutes afterwards cutting and subsequently exposure to oxygen.
3. Dark-brown (metmyoglobin): occurs when the iron in the myoglobin is oxidized, which usually takes about 3 days afterward cutting. (Y'all may see steaks with this color in the discount bin at a supermarket. The brown colour doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the product; in fact, purchasing meat at this phase is a great style to stock upward on cheaper steaks for the freezer.)

Oxygen

Oxygen plays two important roles, which affect the colour in reverse ways. As soon as meat is cut, oxygen reacts with the myoglobin and creates the vivid red colour associated with oxymyoglobin. This will go on to develop until the iron in the myoglobin oxidizes to the point of the stage.

Oxidation tin can besides occur when fe in the meat binds with oxygen in the musculus. This can frequently occur during the processing of round steak from the hip fundamental and can be identified by the rainbow-similar colours that announced from the reflection of light off the meat surface. The condition will remain later on the production is cooked and can often be seen on sliced roast beef used in sandwich making. This condition does non change the quality of the meat; nonetheless, it is generally less attractive to consumers.

Age

The stake muscles of veal carcasses indicate an immature animal, which has a lower myoglobin count than those of more mature animals. Immature cattle are fed primarily milk products to keep their flesh lite in colour. However one time a calf is weaned and begins to eat grass, its flesh begins to darken. Intact males such as breeding bulls have muscle that contains more myoglobin than females (heifers) or steers (castrated males) at a comparable historic period.

Generally, beef and lamb have more myoglobin in their muscles than pork, veal, fish, and poultry. Game animals take muscles that are darker than those of domestic animals, in office due to the higher level of physical activity, and therefore they besides have higher myoglobin.

Preventing Discolouration

Maintaining the temperature of fresh meat near the freezing point (0°C/32°F) helps maintain the bright crimson colour () of beef meats for much longer and prevents discolouration.

Meat should be immune to bloom completely (the bloom usually reaches its height about three or 4 days afterwards cutting) or exist wrapped on a meat tray with a wrapping pic equally in supermarket meat displays. If portioned steaks are to be vacuum packed, doing so immediately after cut (merely earlier the blossom has started) volition allow the steaks to bloom naturally when removed from the vacuum packaging.

Sure phases of meat processing can besides trigger discolouration. Oxidation browning (metmyoglobin) can develop more speedily than normal if something occurs to restrict the flow of oxygen once the blossom has started but has not been allowed to run its total course. The two most mutual examples are:

• Cutting meat surfaces stay in contact too long with flat surfaces such as cut tables, cutting boards, or trays.
• Meat is wrapped in paper (which means there is no further exposure to air and therefore no oxygen, which speeds upwards the browning consequence).

The browning effect will occur naturally once the meat is exposed to oxygen.

There are two other types of discolouration that commonly occur with beef and hog meat. Although the cause of both types occurs before death (), the actual change does not testify up until after death (mail service mortem). The discolouration is a result of chemic reactions in the animate being'due south trunk due to stresses, known as .

PSS can result in two different types of discolouration: PSE and DFD.

(pale, soft, and exudative) occurs mainly in pigs (and in some cases has been found to be genetic). PSE is brought about past a sudden increase of lactic acid due to the depletion of glycogen before slaughter, which in turn causes a rapid decline in the pH mail service slaughter. The visible signs of PSE can be detected by the trained eye in the pork loin key, where the flesh appears much paler than normal. The muscle meat is softer and may exist very sloppy and wet to the touch and leaking meat juices, a consequence of a high proportion of complimentary water in the tissues.

Although production with PSE is safe to eat, its shelf life is express and it may go tougher sooner if overcooked. Products with PSE have express use equally fresh products but are used to manufacture cooked products such as formed ham and certain sausage varieties with a recommended limit of x% (i.e., one role PSE to nine parts of regular meat), due to the high h2o content.

(dark, firm, and dry) occurs mainly in beef carcasses but sometimes in lamb and turkey. In the meat manufacture, these carcasses are referred to equally . Unlike PSE meat, DFD meat shows little or no drop in the pH after slaughter. Instead, there may be an increase of stress hormones, such every bit , released into the bloodstream. Consequently, (muscle saccharide) is depleted before slaughter due to stresses. This decreases the lactic acid, which in turn affects the pH, causing it to not drib fast enough subsequently slaughter. Therefore, the muscle meat, typically in the hip area of the carcass, may become very dry out and nighttime.

Even later the carcass is aged and the meat has been processed and displayed, the nighttime advent remains and bloom volition not occur. In addition, the meat may also feel sticky to the touch, which limits shelf life. DFD meat is by and large considered unattractive to the consumer; however, the meat remains edible and is still suitable for use in cooked products and sausage emulsions but should be express to 10% (i role DFD to 9 parts of regular meat).

Listed below are some causes of DFD that should be avoided:

• Transferring animals to strange surround (kill found) and property them for as well long
• Treating animals roughly prior to and during ship (e.g., using cattle prods)
• Overcrowding cattle during shipping
• Mixing cattle with other animals they are non used to
• Preventing animals from having sufficient balance at the slaughterhouse prior to harvesting
• Dehydrating animals (not giving them plenty water) prior to slaughter
• Causing over-excitement, pain, hunger, excessive racket, smell of blood
• Exposing animals to temperature extremes during transportation
• Aircraft stress-susceptible animals, such equally intact males (bulls), during severe weather

Notation: DFD tin occur anywhere between 12 and 48 hours prior to an animal's slaughter.

Imperfections and Abnormalities in Meat

Even though meats arriving at their final destination (signal of sale) have normally been approved and inspected, the product nonetheless requires further checks prior to auction and eating in case abnormal meat inconsistencies were missed in the inspection process. Some of these are caused past injuries or disease that occurred while the animal was alive, while others are naturally occurring parts of the animal'due south torso (glands in detail) that are removed prior to or during the cut procedure.

Some examples are given here.

• and : infected or non-infected tumours from quondam injuries that are imbedded in muscles and sometimes close to bones (Effigy 9).

Figure 9. Cyst in beef short loin.

• : usually from more contempo injuries and besides constitute imbedded in muscles or between musculus seams or on or virtually bone joints.
• : scar tissue, usually from very old injuries, with the appearance of white fatty seams or thin strands tightly leap together, making the muscle tough and unsightly.
• and : lymph nodes are glands in the pharynx and back of the tongue that give a good indication of the general health of the animal; these are inspected on the animate being carcass at the harvesting plant prior to being sold, merely internal or intermuscular glands are not examined unless further inspection is recommended by a veterinarian. Consequently, 3 major glands are removed from beef, pork, and lamb during processing to ensure the public practice non see them. They are the , located in the neck and bract sub-primals below the junction of the 5th cervical vertebra (Figure 10); the , located at 90 degrees to the circular bone on the hip on the outside of the sirloin tip imbedded in the cod fatty pocket (Figure xi); and the , located in the outside round sub-primal in the hip primal between the middle of the round and the outside round flat under the heel of round, imbedded in a fat pocket (Figure 12).

Effigy 10. Prescapular gland.

Figure 11. Prefemoral gland.

Effigy 12. Popliteal gland.

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Source: https://opentextbc.ca/meatcutting/chapter/meat-colour/

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