Curious if anyone seen this before and what is it. Normally found in beef and pork I've heard different things on what it is but want to know what it is for sure.
-- Edited by Jason19991 on Wednesday 25th of January 2017 05:11:37 PM
I have seen it also in the fat like the picture. I think it has to do with the cooling of the carcass. It did not cool down fast enough. Let see what everyone else thinks.
This can be caused by several things some explainable and I am sure some that are not!
Sometimes there is a acidic reaction with surface glands that have not been properly removed. Also it could be the remnant of an abscess that has not been removed properly at the packing house. In the old days we use to say that green is a "bacteria problem" while brown is a issue due to improper lighting or refrigeration. However, if this green has an odor then it has to be removed and tossed out.
Here is an article I found about a complaint filed by a Subway restaurant worker concerning the green sheen found on cooked roast beef which would be in the subject matter of seeing "green" in beef!
Iridescence is a common problem in sliced roast beef and ham products. The dominant color is frequently green and consumers sometimes confuse this with green myoglobin pigments associated with microbial growth. The iridescence of meat products is produced by a combination of the angle of incidence of the light on the muscle fibres and the wetness of the surface. If the fibres are pulled slightly out of alignment during slicing, the light strikes the fibre at an angle scattering light which appears as the rainbow or greenish color on the surface of the meat.
