Often minced meat gets gray spots shortly after purchase. What's behind it - and is the minced meat still edible despite the gray spots?
Just bought fresh and strange stains: Often minced meat turns gray in some places shortly after purchase. Many then wonder whether the minced meat is already spoiled or whether the gray spots are harmful to health. That is behind the phenomenon.
Minced meat turns gray: that's behind the discoloration
The gray spots on the minced meat result from a chemical reaction , as Focus.de reports. This usually starts in the middle of the hack. The least amount of oxygen gets to this point, causing the protein myoglobin in the meat to begin to form pigments. That is why the minced meat turns from red to brown.
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Is gray minced meat harmful to health?
The gray spots on the minced meat do not look nice, but are usually not harmful to health . The smell is more important than the appearance of minced meat. So if you see gray spots on the hack, you should subject it to a smell test: if it smells sweet, pungent or otherwise strongly, it should under no circumstances be eaten. Then the decomposition of the meat has already begun and the risk of food poisoning or the like is very high.
There is also another method to check whether minced meat with gray spots has already spoiled. If the hack is in the air, it should turn pink again after about 15 minutes . The protein myoglobin is also responsible for this. If this does not happen, it is an indication that the meat may be spoiled.
By the way: you should never consume minced meat beyond the consumption date
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By Michaela Schaal
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