The red liquid in your meat package is not what you think it is (2024)

After you've learned somethingwhite streaks on chicken breast are really nasty (yes, it's pretty gross)we are relieved to discover that the answer to life's other great raw meat mystery is less nauseating.

When buying red meat, including steaks, many grocers often find red liquid at the bottom of the package that you probably assumed was blood. It turns out that it isdoesn'treal blood, but instead a protein called myoglobin, according toBuzzfeed. It is the protein that gives the meat and its juice a red tint, and it is quite normal to find this in the package.

Like the hemoglobin found in our blood, myoglobin transports oxygen to the animal's muscles.New York Times. The egg white changes color when exposed to air and heat. That is why your meat turns from red to brown when it is cooked or has been in the packaging for too long.

Plus, the red juice oozing from your medium-rare steak isn't blood either. It's the same protein you'll find on the bottom of your packageHuffington Post. Rare steaks and hamburgers are not exposed to heat for as long as well-done meat, which means there is more red myoglobin present. So the next time someone stares at your rare and juicy sirloin steak, tell them to relax – it's just egg whites!

(t/tBuzzfeed)