What makes ground beef red

However, a sticky or slimy texture — either when cooked or raw — may indicate the presence of spoilage bacteria. You should toss it immediately To avoid spreading bacteria from one surface to another, wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw meat.

If your ground beef has a sticky or slimy texture when raw or cooked, it has most likely gone bad. This test is probably the easiest and fastest way to determine whether meat has spoiled. It applies to both raw and cooked ground beef. Though the scent of fresh ground beef is barely perceptible, rancid meat has a tangy, putrid odor. The scent changes due to the increased growth of spoilage bacteria, such as Lactobacillus spp. Sell-by and expiration dates are additional guidelines for determining whether your ground beef is good 7.

A sell-by date tells the retailer how long a product can be displayed for sale. Ground beef can be refrigerated and safely eaten up to 2 days past this date 3 , 6. Food will have the best taste and quality before this date. Be sure to carefully read the product label when buying ground beef.

Sell-by and expiration dates tell you the best time to eat ground beef. Freezing can further extend its shelf life. Spoiled ground beef is dangerous to eat because it may contain pathogenic bacteria, which are responsible for foodborne illnesses.

Symptoms include fever, vomiting, stomach cramps , and diarrhea — which may be bloody 9 , 10 , The most commonly found harmful bacteria in ground beef are Salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. Outbreaks of infections related to these bacteria occur fairly frequently in the United States 1 , 3 , 12 , Salmonella and STEC are the most common bacteria associated with food poisoning from ground beef.

Cook the meat thoroughly to reduce your risk of infection. Proper handling and storing are key to avoiding food poisoning from ground beef. Here are a few safety tips 3 , 12 , 13 :. A few simple techniques, including looking for changes in color, odor, and texture, can determine whether your ground beef has gone bad.

And they think: Is this meat bad? When meat — or even poultry — is packaged, the meat on the outside is exposed to more oxygen. If the inside of the meat was exposed for the same period of time, it also would be that bright.

We sometimes get questions from guests who want to know about why meat sometimes looks purple. The USDA uses a purple dye stamp on all cuts of meat to grade it properly and as a sign of inspection. Consuming spoiled or undercooked beef can make people feel sick, so individuals should try to store, handle, and prepare beef safely to prevent them from getting ill. There are signs people can be aware of that may warn them that ground beef is now bad.

One quick way to determine if ground beef has spoiled or is good to eat is by looking at the color of the meat. Good quality, unspoiled ground beef bought from the supermarket should be bright red on the outside. This is due to oxygen from the air reacting with meat pigments called oxymyoglobin to form a bright red color on the surface of the meat. Oxymyoglobin is typically the red liquid that leaks out of meat that many people may mistake for blood.

The inside of the meat will likely not have reacted with oxygen, so may be grayish brown in color, but is still perfectly fine to eat. But if the ground beef is gray or brown on the outside surface of the meat, people should discard it. This discoloration suggests that it has started to go bad. If a person notices mold on the surface of their ground beef, they should throw it away immediately, whether it be raw or cooked. People can also check the texture to see if meat is bad.

Ground beef that is fine to consume should have a relatively firm consistency that breaks apart when a person squeezes it. But a sticky or slimy texture may indicate the presence of spoilage bacteria. This may be the result of ropy slime-forming bacteria. This bacteria can release volatile compounds that may cause slime to form on the surface of the meat. To avoid potentially spreading bacteria, it is advisable for people to thoroughly wash their hands after handling raw meat. Another way to tell if ground beef has gone bad is by simply smelling it.

Normal, safe, fresh ground beef should not have a noticeable or unpleasant smell. Multiplying spoilage bacteria can cause a strong odor to occur. But it is important to remember that pathogenic bacteria may not cause a bad smell. So if there is not a bad scent but the ground beef is displaying other signs that it has gone bad, it is still advisable to discard the meat.

The Food and Drug Administration FDA do not require there be an expiration date label on any food products except infant formula. But because there are localized rules surrounding these dates, most food products do tend to have a date on them. It is safe for people to consume refrigerated ground beef up to 2 days past this date. If freezing, it is advisable to eat ground beef within 4 months.