Does the sight of blood disgust you? Do you avoid eating rare or even blue meat because of your somewhat fear of this organic red fluid? And yet you should not deprive yourself, for the reason that this fluid coming out of your red meat isn’t even blood. Well no, it may seem foolish for some, but it’s not.
In fact, this liquid is actually a protein called myoglobin.
What is myoglobin?
Myoglobin is a protein containing heme-iron that’s used primarily to bring oxygen through the animals' muscles, especially mammals.
But why does this protein look like blood? In fact, all the animal’s blood is being emptied of it during the slaughter. The meat’s remaining liquid is only water. Myoglobin, when exposed to air, turns red and mixes with water. That's why it looks like blood, but we can assure you it’s quite not.
Once cooked, this myoglobin, still in the meat, turns brownish. Why does it turn that colour? See the full answer in one of our previous articles;
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Moreover, an animal like beef requires more oxygen in its muscle tissue, so it contains more myoglobin. Veal is lighter and less red because it’s younger (less muscular). Animals like poultry are considered white meat because they require less oxygen in their muscles and therefore contain less myoglobin.
Is brown meat dangerous?
When we go to the grocery store, we often see meat that is sometimes discounted when they are darker and less red. Does this mean that this packed meat is no longer good for your health? Not at all. It's simply because it's been out there a little longer and it’s been oxidized. However, it’s not dangerous for health, it’s only less attractive to consumers.
However, be sure to cook it almost immediately, especially if it’s not frozen.
Why you shouldn’t eat an overcooked steak
While some people love a good rare steak (or even "blue"), others continue to be disgusted, even if they now know it's not blood.
However, be careful. An overcooked steak may not be the best thing you can put in your mouth. Overcooked or even carbonized meat increases the level of glycotoxins in it, which also increases the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease, according to studies made by Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
To conclude
The myth is now debunked. The red liquid inside a red meat isn’t blood. You can now enjoy a delicious rare or medium rare steak without being disgusted by "blood".
And you, how cooked do you like your meat?
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Maillard is an online butcher that offers a wide range of exceptional quality meats, delivered right to your doorstep the very next day. You will find all the meat products you love: local and exotic meats, seasoned or regular, ordered by the box or just a single piece, but always with our guarantee of great taste!
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FAQs
Yeah, you might want to eat meat but the blood can make some people squeamish. But actually that red juice in your meat is not blood. Blood is removed during the slaughter process and afterwards very little blood remains in the muscle tissue. That red liquid is water mixed a protein called myoglobin.
Is there blood in meat or not? ›
Even the rarest and reddest of steaks is actually bloodless. Instead, what you're looking at is a combination of water, which makes up about 75 per cent of meat, and a protein found in muscle tissue called myoglobin.
How much blood is left in meat? ›
Blood not lost at sticking is probably largely retained in the viscera rather than the carcase. The residual blood content of lean meat is 2 to 9 ml/kg muscle. There is no evidence that this amount is affected by different slaughter methods or that large amounts of residual blood influence the microbiology of meat.
What happens to your blood when you eat meat? ›
"Animal fat in your bloodstream has the same effect," he says. "If you're eating animal fat, your blood is actually thicker and has a hard time circulating. So the heart has to push harder to get the blood to flow. If you're not eating meat, your blood viscosity drops and your blood pressure drops.
Does organ meat contain blood? ›
Organ meat is the internal organs and other parts of the animal besides muscle meat, including: Blood, bones and skin.
Does chicken meat have blood in it? ›
Information. Many people think the pink liquid in packaged fresh chicken is blood, but it is mostly water that was absorbed by the chicken during the chilling process. Blood is removed from poultry during slaughter and only a small amount remains in the muscle tissue.
Should you wash blood off meat? ›
Some consumers may wash or rinse their raw meat or poultry because it's a habit or because a family member they trust has always washed their meat. USDA research has found that washing or rinsing meat or poultry increases the risk for cross-contamination in the kitchen, which can cause foodborne illness.
Does cooking meat get rid of blood? ›
If you got the meat from a legitimate butcher, there's no blood in it. All blood is drained at slaughter and sold as a byproduct. That red liquid sometimes seen is called myoglobin and it's a protein mixed with water. When you heat it, it turns grey.
Why is blood removed from meat? ›
Haemoglobin is a powerful promoter of lipid oxidation and may decrease the shelf life of meat products. Residual blood is also important in promoting microbiological deterioration of carcasses (Warriss, 2000; Alvarado et al., 2007; Lerner, 2009).
Why does the Bible say not to eat blood? ›
Why is the eating of blood prohibited? We can find the answer here in Leviticus 17 and verse 11, and the Bible says: The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why the LORD has commanded that all blood be poured out on the altar to take away the people's sins. Blood, which is life, takes away sins.
The only dietary restrictions specified for Christians in the New Testament are to "abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals" (Acts 15:29), teachings that the early Church Fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen, preached for believers to follow.
Why shouldn't we eat meat? ›
Research shows that people who eat red meat are at a higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke or diabetes. Processed meats also make the risk of death from these diseases go up. And what you don't eat also can harm your health.
Is there blood in fish meat? ›
Fish that are gutted immediately will actually have more residual blood in their fillets than fish that are drained of blood before gutting.
Does vegan meat have blood? ›
To replicate the taste of beef, Impossible Foods said it scanned plants for molecules that would mimic a protein in meat that contains iron and makes blood red. It eventually settled on something called soy leghemoglobin, found in the root of soy plants.
What gives meat its red color? ›
Myoglobin, a protein, is responsible for the majority of the red color. Purplish in color, when it is mixed with oxygen, it becomes oxymyoglobin and produces a bright red color. The meat from older animals will be darker in color because the myoglobin level increases with age.
