The Eating Quality of Meat: I-Color

The appearance of food is critical to its perception of quality and this is especially true for meat. Meat color is due to the protein myoglobin, and this heme-containing macromolecule continues to react within the postmortem myofiber sarcoplasm. The quantity and redox stability of myoglobin affect its perceived color, and these properties are influenced by a variety of factors that are endogenous and exogenous to meat. A thorough understanding of myoglobin chemistry/biochemistry is necessary to understand various color conditions observed in meat and for the purpose of developing processes for improved shelf-life extension and preservation of this nutrient-dense food.