Food Safety While Hiking, Camping

& Boating

The Color of Meat and Poultry

USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854)

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health

agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring

that the nation’s commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg products

is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.

Food Safety Information

United States Department of Agriculture

Food Safety and Inspection Service

PhotoDisc

These are just a few of the many questions

received at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s

Meat and Poultry Hotline concerning the color of

meat and poultry. Color is important when meat

and poultry are purchased, stored, and cooked.

Often an attractive, bright color is a consideration

for the purchase. So, why are there differences in

the color and what do they mean? Listed below

are some questions and answers to help you

understand the color differences.

1. What factors affect the color of meat

and poultry?

Myoglobin, a protein, is responsible for the majority

of the red color. Myoglobin doesn’t circulate in the

blood but is fixed in the tissue cells and is purplish

in color. When it is mixed with oxygen, it becomes

oxymyoglobin and produces a bright red color. The

remaining color comes from the hemoglobin which

occurs mainly in the circulating blood, but a small

amount can be found in the tissues after

slaughter.

Color is also influenced by the age of the animal,

the species, sex, diet, and even the exercise it

gets. The meat from older animals will be darker in

color because the myoglobin level increases with

age. Exercised muscles are always darker in color,

which means the same animal can have variations

of color in its muscles.

In addition, the color of meat and poultry can

change as it is being stored at retail and in the

home (see explanation in question 5). When safely

stored in the refrigerator or freezer, color changes

are normal for fresh meat and poultry.

I’ve just opened a package of fresh chicken and the skin looks blue. Is it safe to use?

My package of ground beef is dark in the center. Is this old meat?

The turkey was cooked according to the directions, but the breast meat is pink. Will it make us sick?

2. Does a change in color indicate

spoilage?

Change in color alone does not mean the product

is spoiled. Color changes are normal for fresh

product. With spoilage there can be a change in

color—often a fading or darkening. In addition to

the color change, the meat or poultry will have an

off odor, be sticky or tacky to the touch, or it may

be slimy. If meat has developed these

characteristics, it should not be used.

3. If the color of meat and poultry

changes while frozen, is it safe?

Color changes, while meat and poultry are frozen,

occur just as they do in the refrigerator. Fading

and darkening, for example, do not affect their

safety. These changes are minimized by using

freezer-type wrapping and by expelling as much

air as possible from the package.

4. What are the white dried patches on

frozen meat and poultry?

The white dried patches indicate freezer burn.

When meat and poultry have been frozen for an

extended period of time or have not been

wrapped and sealed properly, this will occur. The

product remains safe to eat, but the areas with

freezer burn will be dried out and tasteless and

can be trimmed away if desired.
Food Safety Information 2

The Color of Meat and Poultry

THE COLOR OF MEAT

5. When displayed at the grocery store,

why is some meat bright red and other

meat very dark in color?

Optimum surface color of fresh meat (i.e., cherryred for beef; dark cherry-red for lamb; grayish-pink

for pork; and pale pink for veal) is highly unstable

and short-lived. When meat is fresh and protected

from contact with air (such as in vacuum

packages), it has the purple-red color that comes

from myoglobin, one of the two key pigments

responsible for the color of meat. When exposed

to air, myoglobin forms the pigment, oxymyoglobin,

which gives meat a pleasingly cherry-red color. The

use of a plastic wrap that allows oxygen to pass

through it helps ensure that the cut meats will

retain this bright red color. However, exposure to

store lighting as well as the continued contact of

myoglobin and oxymyoglobin with oxygen leads to

the formation of metmyoglobin, a pigment that

turns meat brownish-red. This color change alone

does not mean the product is spoiled (see

explanation in question 2).

6. Why is pre-packaged ground beef

red on the outside and sometimes

grayish-brown on the inside?

These color differences do not indicate that the

meat is spoiled or old. As discussed earlier, fresh

cut meat is purplish in color. Oxygen from the air

reacts with meat pigments to form a bright red

color which is usually seen on the surface of

ground beef purchased in the supermarket. The

interior of the meat may be grayish-brown due to

the lack of oxygen penetrating below the surface.

7. A beef roast has darkened in the

refrigerator, is it safe?

Yes, it is safe. The darkening is due to oxidation,

the chemical changes in myoglobin due to the

oxygen content. This is a normal change during

refrigerator storage.

8. Can cooked ground beef still be pink

inside?

Yes, ground beef can be pink inside after it is

safely cooked. The pink color can be due to a

reaction between the oven heat and myoglobin,

which causes a red or pink color. It can also occur

when vegetables containing nitrites are cooked

along with the meat. Because doneness and

safety cannot be judged by color, it is very

important to use a food thermometer when

cooking ground beef. To be sure all harmful

bacteria are destroyed, cook all ground beef

products to an internal temperature of 160 °F

throughout.

9. What causes iridescent colors on

meats?

Meat contains iron, fat, and other compounds.

When light hits a slice of meat, it splits into colors

like a rainbow. There are various pigments in meat

compounds that can give it an iridescent or

greenish cast when exposed to heat and

processing. Wrapping the meat in airtight

packages and storing it away from light will help

prevent this situation. Iridescence does not

represent decreased quality or safety of the meat.

10. What causes grayish or green color

on cured meats?

Exposure to light and oxygen causes oxidation to

take place, which causes the breaking down of

color pigments formed during the curing process.

Chemicals in the cure and oxygen, as well as

energy from ultraviolet and visible light, contribute

to both the chemical breakdown and microbial

spoilage of the product. Cure, such as nitrite,

chemically changes the color of muscle. Curing

solutions are colored in order to distinguish them

from other ingredients (such as sugar or salt)

used in fresh and cured meat products. For

example, cured raw pork is gray, but cured cooked

pork (e.g., ham) is light pink.

THE COLOR OF POULTRY

11. What is the usual color of raw

poultry?

Raw poultry can vary from a bluish-white to

yellow. All of these colors are normal and are a

direct result of breed, exercise, age, and/or diet.

Younger poultry has less fat under the skin, which

can cause the bluish cast, and the yellow skin

could be a result of marigolds in the feed.

12. What causes the differences in

color of raw ground poultry?

Ground poultry varies in color according to the part

being ground. Darker pink means more dark meat

was used and a lighter pink means more white

meat was included (or skin was included). Ground

poultry can contain only muscle meat and skin with

attached fat in proportion to the whole bird.
Food Safety Questions?

The USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider and employer.

Slightly Revised January 2008

FSIS encourages the reprint and distribution of this publication for food safety

purposes. However, the included image from PhotoDisc, used under license, is

protected by the copyright laws of the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, and may

not be saved or downloaded except for printing of this publication.

Ask Karen!

FSIS’ automated response

system can provide food safety

information 24/7.

AskKaren.gov

Call the USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

If you have a question

about meat, poultry, or

egg products, call the

USDA Meat and

Poultry Hotline

toll free at

1-888-MPHotline

(1-888-674-6854);

TTY: 1-800-256-7072.

 The Hotline is open year-round

Monday through Friday

from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ET (English or

Spanish). Recorded

food safety messages

are available 24 hours

a day. Check out the

FSIS Web site at

www.fsis.usda.gov.

Send E-mail questions to MPHotline.fsis@usda.gov.

13. What causes dark bones in cooked

poultry?

Darkening of bones and meat around the bones

occurs primarily in young (6-8 weeks) broiler-fryer

chickens. Since the bones have not calcified or

hardened completely, pigment from the bone

marrow seeps through the bones and into the

surrounding area. Freezing can also contribute to

this darkening. This is an aesthetic issue and not

a safety one. The meat is safe to eat when all

parts have reached at least 165 °F.

14. What color is safely cooked

poultry?

Safely cooked poultry can vary in color from white

to pink to tan. For safety when cooking poultry,

use a food thermometer to check the internal

temperature. Poultry should reach a safe

minimum internal temperature of 165 °F

throughout the product. For a whole chicken or

turkey, check the internal temperature in the

innermost part of the thigh and wing and the

thickest part of the breast. All the meat-including

any that remains pink—is safe to eat as soon as

all parts reach at least 165 °F.

The Color of Meat and Poultry

15. Why is some cooked poultry pink?

Chemical changes occur during cooking. Oven

gases in a heated gas or electric oven react

chemically with hemoglobin in the meat tissues to

give it a pink tinge. Often meat of younger birds

shows the most pink because their thinner skins

permit oven gases to reach the flesh. Older

animals have a fat layer under their skin, giving

the flesh added protection from the gases. Older

poultry may be pink in spots where fat is absent

from the skin. Also, nitrates and nitrites, which are

often used as preservatives or may occur naturally

in the feed or water supply used, can cause a pink

color.

16. If fully cooked smoked poultry is

pink, is it safe?

Poultry grilled or smoked outdoors can be pink,

even when all parts have attained temperatures

well above 165 °F. There may be a pink-colored rim

about one-half inch wide around the outside of

the cooked product. Commercially prepared,

smoked poultry is usually pink because it is

prepared with natural smoke and liquid smoke

flavor.