Hanging Meat – Colour Change

When freshly slaughtered meat at the abattoir comes into contact with the oxygen in the air, the myoglobin in the meat binds with the oxygen, forming oxymyoglobin giving the meat a distinctive fresh red colour.

When meat is delivered to butcheries the bright red colour of the carcass is still evident.

After a day or two of hanging, the iron molecules in the oxymyoglobin oxidizes to form a new complex compound known as metmyoglobin which causes the meat to darken and turn brown. The flanks of the carcasses also tend to harden resulting in excessive trimming.

The hanging meat also drips blood changing the texture of the meat and losing weight in the process. During this stage, accumulated weight loss could be anything between 1% and 3% (and even higher).

Colour change, trimming and weight losses can all be substantially reduced if the meat is stored at the correct humidity level (88%) and acetic acid arising from the carcass and airborne bacteria in the meat cold room is removed.

Weight losses can be reduced by 50% and bright red meat colour can be retained for far longer – contact Polar Africa  http://www.polarafrica.co.za for a custom-designed solution to achieve foregoing.

Grow your business by selling meat that looks fresh and tastes great!