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.
