What Does the Colour of Meat Tell You?

This week, Sarah Mikesell reported on how the colour of meat relates to its freshness and quality, an important issue that can affect consumer purchases.

Meat colour is influenced by myoglobin, a protein that is responsible for the majority of meat’s red colour. Myoglobin doesn't circulate in the blood but is fixed in the tissue cells and is purplish in colour.

When it is mixed with oxygen, it becomes oxymyoglobin and produces a bright red colour. The remaining colour comes from the haemoglobin which occurs mainly in the circulating blood, but a small amount can be found in the tissues after slaughter.

Colour is also influenced by the age of the animal, the species, sex, diet, and even the exercise it gets. However, a change in colour can indicate spoilage – click here to find out more.

In cattle health news, spreading of poultry litter on pasture has been blamed for outbreaks of botulism in ruminants in Northern Ireland.

It is believed that contamination of broiler litter with fragments of carcasses of chickens that have died, from various causes during production, can render the litter dangerous for ruminants – read more.