# Ground meat **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 15, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431 "2011-09-15T19:48:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/1 "2011-09-15T19:48:23Z")
Why is day old hamburger red on the outside and brown on the inside? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/2 "2011-09-15T19:51:49Z")
Oxygen ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/3 "2011-09-15T20:06:52Z")
Because the supermarket puts the old meat on the inside and surrounds it with a half-inch wrapper of fresh meat. Our local one was notorious for this. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/4 "2011-09-15T20:10:08Z")
This meaty discussion is headed for Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/5 "2011-09-15T20:12:36Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Because the supermarket puts the old meat on the inside and surrounds it with a half-inch wrapper of fresh meat. Our local one was notorious for this. They’ve got a mold that does this, or the butcher just has really good hands? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/6 "2011-09-15T20:16:27Z")
… ---
**Author:** ![I\_Know\_Nothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f04885/32.png) [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/7 "2011-09-15T20:20:32Z")
Myglobin. This is what I recall from about a decade ago. I’m pretty sure it’s right. Myglobin, which gives meat it’s color, is a little dark. Once exposed to Oxygen(the meat on the outside) it changes to oxymyoglobin, a red color. Hence the meat on the inside can be darker. Once exposed long enough the oxymyoglobin will change to metmyoglobin, a dark brown(and icky). ---
**Author:** ![I\_Know\_Nothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f04885/32.png) [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/8 "2011-09-15T20:30:03Z")
[Linky](http://homecooking.about.com/od/beef/a/groundbeefcolor.htm) ---
**Author:** ![badlyburnttoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@badlyburnttoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badlyburnttoast)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/9 "2011-09-17T11:09:59Z")
I always thought it was because the hamburger was ‘dyed’ red to make it more appealing to the consumer and the darker color was the natural color. I don’t remember where I heard that, google gives a bunch of hits but none that are particularly reputable. **I\_Know\_Nothing** ’s answer seems to be the correct one. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/10 "2011-09-17T11:54:23Z")
> [@badlyburnttoast](#): > > I always thought it was because the hamburger was ‘dyed’ red to make it more appealing to the consumer and the darker color was the natural color. Nope. I’ve ground my own burger, and it’s the exact same color as the stuff in the store. And the burger I buy locally from mom-and-pop natural organic blah blah blah farms is also the same color. No dye involved; beef is naturally an appealing red color. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/11 "2011-09-17T12:42:52Z")
> [@I\_Know\_Nothing](#): > > Myglobin. > > This is what I recall from about a decade ago. I’m pretty sure it’s right. > > Myglobin, which gives meat it’s color, is a little dark. Once exposed to Oxygen(the meat on the outside) it changes to oxymyoglobin, a red color. Hence the meat on the inside can be darker. Once exposed long enough the oxymyoglobin will change to metmyoglobin, a dark brown(and icky). My **O** globin. I believe _Myglobin_ was a one-man play by William Harvey. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/12 "2011-09-17T14:32:27Z")
> [@badlyburnttoast](#): > > I always thought it was because the hamburger was ‘dyed’ red to make it more appealing to the consumer and the darker color was the natural color. Maybe you’re thinking of carbon monoxide, which is sometimes used in meat packaging to keep the outside of the meat looking red for longer. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/13 "2011-09-17T15:23:33Z")
I have heard that plastic wrap used by butchers to wrap meats is oxygen permeable which allows the outside of the ground beef to have constant oxygen contact, keeping the meat red longer. IANAButcher, so I can’t say for sure. ETA: I just noticed this is confirmed by **I\_Know\_Nothing** ’s link. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ground-meat/596431/14 "2011-09-17T18:00:40Z")
Oxygen: is there anything it can’t do?