The Red Liquid on Meat is Not Blood



Many people assume that the red liquid dripping from the raw meat bought from the supermarket is blood, this assumption is a misconception. All of the blood from the animal is removed while slaughtering. Only small amount of real blood remains which is within the muscle tissues.

The red liquid that you actually see on the meat lifted from the superstore’s shelf has little or no amount of blood, instead a mixture of water and a protein that is scientifically known as Myoglobin. Too much of this can cause cancer and kidney problems. Myoglobin is a frequently used protein which adhere the ability to store oxygen in the muscle cells. The myoglobin has a high level of red pigment, so the more myoglobin the meat has, the redder it will be.

Myoglobin is a protein that stores oxygen in muscle cells, very similar to its cousin, hemoglobin, which stores oxygen in red blood cells.  This is necessary for muscles which need immediate oxygen for energy during frequent, continual usage.  Myoglobin is highly pigmented, specifically red; so the more myoglobin, the redder the meat will look and the darker it will get when you cook it.


The common terms such as “red meat” and “white meat” are in reality an indicator for the level of myoglobin. Most mammals are red meat, because their myoglobin level is high, while most poultry are considered as white meat.

11 comments:

  1. I support my wallet.....I can't afford organic!!!!!

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    1. How very ethical of you. Organic needn't cost the earth once you learn how to shop for it that is if you can be bothered to which evil global conglomerate your money ends up in the hands of.

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    2. This article addresses the health concerns of inorganic food. Health and money have a direct relationship. Frequent trips to the doctor, triple bypass surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are very expensive. Plus how productive are you going to be when your sick.

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    3. You realize that the most common sellers of "organic" foods are some of the largest corporations on the planet? So unless someone wants to make a drive out into the country to buy directly from a farmer, the chances of finding non-corporate owned organic foods are slim. The reason we have higher rates of cancer and heart disease has little to do the quality of the meats and veggies we eat and more to do with how much of it we eat without proper exercise. The more wealthy a culture, the fatter the people. It's been that way since the dawn of time. "Organic" foods are nothing but a scam. There's no such thing as food grown without pesticides unless you grow them yourself. The "natural" pesticides that organic farmers use are typically far more toxic than synthetic fertilizers, which are relatively non-toxic and harmless if consumed in the small, trace amounts found on our food today. Also, there is NO scientific correlation between cancer and heart disease and animals that have been given antibiotics and growth hormones. Nor is there any correlation between the height of children (nor breast growth) and use of antibiotics and hormones. Children are getting taller and growing larger breasts because we, as a people, are getting fatter, simple as that. So paying an extra 40% for something that has been proven many times in very controlled settings to have no more nutritional value or flavor than the non "organic" is ridiculous. This "organic" food craze is nothing more than a plot used by big business to get more money for the same product. You might want to try doing some unbiased research before you jump to these conclusions.

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  2. i know...i'd love to eat organic meat but when you have to pay $8-12 for a pound of ground beef...sorry can't do that

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    1. Note that of touch have children, that they could become fatally ill.. Then would you have enough money then for their expensive medical bills? Which is more worth the money?

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  3. I too am not a fan of the price for organic meat. However, there is a simple solution. Eat less meat. It's as easy as that. Eating organic doesn't mean you have to empty your wallet. Just eat smarter and healthier. Since eating organic I can't remember how long it's been since I've gotten a cold, the flu, sinus problems, or other illness that warranted a doctors visit. Now that's worth the extra $$ per pound!

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  4. So according to this myoglobin is a natural part of the meat.... then it is organic?? And we all have it in our bodies, since we have muscle too.

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  5. If you never start buying organic well you will never know what it is to be healthy like our ancestors. Besides yes organic is usually expensive but that is because the market is small. As sonn as more people buy it prices are sure to go down, not processed food cheap but more affordable

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  6. The more people buy the cheaper it will be able to get. Perhaps never processed food cheap but more affordable

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  7. It's better to less meat from a better quality source and pay more, which in turns costs less as you eat less. In general we humans eat too much...

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