Utterly weird and possibly retarded question (bacon)

Man of Honour
Joined
15 Mar 2004
Posts
28,140
Location
Liverpool
Right, I just picked up the last rasher from the pack, and it looked really odd. Patches of it had a green/blue metallic tinge to it. Like, when moved slightly in the light, it would change colour and almost appear shiny?

Somebody else has seen this, but what causes it? Is it safe to eat?

The pack had been opened for a week, but well wrapped up, and its sell by date was in mid June.

Green made copper spring to mind, but not sure - would it be involved in the curing process perhaps?
 
Right, I just picked up the last rasher from the pack, and it looked really odd. Patches of it had a green/blue metallic tinge to it. Like, when moved slightly in the light, it would change colour and almost appear shiny?

Somebody else has seen this, but what causes it? Is it safe to eat?

The pack had been opened for a week, but well wrapped up, and its sell by date was in mid June.

Green made copper spring to mind, but not sure - would it be involved in the curing process perhaps?

Does it smell weird?
If it does throw it, if it doesn't cook it well and eat it.
Your noes has many purposes this is one of them!
 
Isn't it where the air has got to it - a bit like beef going a darker colour when in air?
Not 100% sure if thats true but it popped up in my head for some reason.....
 
My basic rule when it comes to food is to smell check it before cooking, during cooking and after cooking. If at any point it fails the smell check it gets dumped, otherwise it gets eaten.

I've seen that petrol-in-water effect before on bacon but I'm not sure what causes it, I haven't died from it yet anyways so it's probably safe.


Note: if you die as a direct result of eating the bacon then you are not allowed to come back and haunt me. Reading this post you have automatically agreed to these terms.
 
Iridescence. Exactly the same principle as oil in a puddle. Likely, since it was at the bottom, all the "juices", have settled to the bottom and made the fat produce an iridescent look. Perfectly safe.
 
My basic rule when it comes to food is to smell check it before cooking, during cooking and after cooking. If at any point it fails the smell check it gets dumped, otherwise it gets eaten.

I've seen that petrol-in-water effect before on bacon but I'm not sure what causes it, I haven't died from it yet anyways.

Fatty acids, working with the oxygen maybe?
 
Yea I cooked it well.

I've just found something (initial googling had failed oddly enough) ; apparently it's due to either nitrite burning or production of excess hydrogen peroxide.

Nitrites are added for flavour, curing and turning it red (hmm..). In some circumstances though Nitrates are added, which then bacteria will reduce to nitrites. If there's an excess (this latter process can't be controlled well) it's called a burn.

If poorly stored, then lactics on the meat will produce hydrogen peroxide.

http://www.jlindquist.net/generalmicro/324sausage.html
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom