If you regularly buy commercially sold meat, then you must know that before it is on the supermarket shelves it goes through a whole process of cutting, processing, and packaging which means that it is drained from all the blood it may contain.
Do you know what this red liquid is? If you think its blood, you should read on…
This liquid is called myoglobin and it is a hemoprotein which is responsible for transporting and storing oxygen for the needs of the muscle cells.
Because of its red color, it is not rare that people confuse it for blood. This substance gives meat its red color. In chicken meat, there’s usually less myoglobin and that’s why the meat is whiter.
As time goes by, the packaged meat starts to release the myoglobin alongside with water and this why usually meat packages contain an absorbent paper which helps absorb the excess liquid.
Once the meat is exposed to air, it has this reddish color, but during the cooking process, the meat gets its brown regular color.
Depending on the time of cooking and temperature, meat changes its color. Please remember that the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture recommends that you cook your steak to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit and let it rest a few minutes, so all dangerous bacteria are dead.
So, next time you see a red liquid in your steak packet, you’ll know it’s not blood!