# What determines whether an animal produces white meat or red meat?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 15, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116 "2010-01-15T20:03:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/1 "2010-01-15T20:03:08Z")
On preliminary inspection, it seems like the main difference is size. Here is a list of the animals I know along with what I define their meat to be:
Red
Cow
Bison
Ostrich
White:
Chicken
Turkey
Alligator
Snake (I’ve never tried it, but the “It tastes just like chicken” is pretty prominent even if it doesn’t)
Quail
Pig seams to be an anomaly that I can’t quite categorize. Of course that really demonstrates the issue with this question. There is likely a spectrum from white meat to red meat and the divisions may not allways be agreed upon. Then, of course, there is fish meat which is different from both.
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### Author:  [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/2 "2010-01-15T20:45:47Z")
1. Diet
2. Muscle composition
Diet is important because various minerals in the food affect the color of the meat. Pork is so white partly because of a corn-based diet. A wild pig would have meat with a darker color. Lamb and beef are dark red, at least in part, because they tend to eat grasses.
Probably more important is the composition of the muscle itself. Myoglobin provides much of the color. It stores oxygen for use in muscles, so it is more common in muscles that are expected to work long periods of time (endurance vs. sprinting). Chicken breasts are whiter than their legs because they suck at flying and count on running around for locomotion. Ducks, on the other hand, have very red breast meat.
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/3 "2010-01-15T21:32:05Z")
From the Wikipedia:
> [@](#):
>
> The main determinant of the nutritional definition of the color of meat is the concentration of myoglobin. The white meat of chicken has under 0.05%; chicken thigh has 0.18-0.20%; pork and veal have 0.1-0.3%; young beef has 0.4-1.0%; and old beef has 1.5-2.0%.[3]
>
> According to the USDA all meats obtained from livestock are red meats because they contain more myoglobin than chicken or fish.
But I would assume the pork industry would not agree with this definition
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/4 "2010-01-15T21:36:48Z")
Could we make a red meat chicken?
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/5 "2010-01-15T22:11:51Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#):
>
> Could we make a red meat chicken?
Isn’t that basically turkey dark meat?
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### Author:  [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/6 "2010-01-15T22:12:58Z")
Also, Tuna in particular has a high degree of myoglobin and the meat is indeed red when it is filleted.
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/7 "2010-01-15T22:17:31Z")
> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> From the Wikipedia:
>
> But I would assume the pork industry would not agree with this definition
It wouldn’t be the first time the FDA and marketing boards don’t agree.
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/8 "2010-01-15T22:58:02Z")
If myoglobin is the only distinction, then the answer is uninteresting. So myogolbin is responsible for the color, but why do some animals have it and others don’t. I can assure you, I don’t need a chemistry lesson on the color of meat. Why is it that large animals tend to have red meat, but small animals have white meat? Why do fish have, “fish meat”?
I’m not looking for chemistry, I’m looking for biology.
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### Author:  [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)
#### Post date: [January 15, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/9 "2010-01-15T23:32:34Z")
The amount of myoglobin found in muscle tissue is determined by how much is needed. Myoglobin’s role in oxygen transport makes it more important (and more plentiful) in slow-twitch muscle fibers than in the largely anaerobic fast-twitch fibers one would expect to see in small, fast animals, in flight muscles, etc.
It’s also more plentiful in muscles that get **used** ; crate-raised veal is whiter than free-raised veal, pastured beef is darker than stall beef, etc. Larger animals have more myglobin in their muscles, possibly for this reason; animals with higher metabolism are also known to contain less myoglobin in ther meat.
Finally, an animal’s aging darkens the meat, possibly due to 'time of use."
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### Author:  [@Notassmartasithought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Notassmartasithought)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/10 "2010-01-16T02:30:22Z")
> [@dracoi](#):
>
> 1. Diet
> 2. Muscle composition
>
> Lamb and beef are dark red, at least in part, because they tend to eat grasses.
Were that true, most corn farmers would be out of business. Cattle get moved to feedlots and fed corn to fatten before slaughter.
The major use of corn is cattle feed. Second is now ethanol, though it’s hard to determine how long that market will last. [http://policyeconomist.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/20070202allcorngraph2.png](http://policyeconomist.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/20070202allcorngraph2.png)
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### Author:  [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/11 "2010-01-16T11:25:18Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#):
>
> Why is it that large animals tend to have red meat, but small animals have white meat?
All the game animals I’ve eaten, down to the smallest ones, have red meat. This applies to rabbits, squirrels, thrushes etc.
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/12 "2010-01-16T15:20:30Z")
> [@nametag](#):
>
> The amount of myoglobin found in muscle tissue is determined by how much is needed. Myoglobin’s role in oxygen transport makes it more important (and more plentiful) in slow-twitch muscle fibers than in the largely anaerobic fast-twitch fibers one would expect to see in small, fast animals, in flight muscles, etc.
That is the sort of thing I was looking for. I wonder why pig meat is so white then. They aren’t particularly fast twitch IMO.
> [@Toxylon](#):
>
> All the game animals I’ve eaten, down to the smallest ones, have red meat. This applies to rabbits, squirrels, thrushes etc.
I thought rabbit meat was more like pork. I’ve never had squirrel or thrush. It surprises me that thrush is red meat. I would have assumed that thrush would be white like chicken.
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### Author:  [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/13 "2010-01-16T20:20:09Z")
> [@Notassmartasithought](#):
>
> Were that true, most corn farmers would be out of business. Cattle get moved to feedlots and fed corn to fatten before slaughter.
>
> The major use of corn is cattle feed. Second is now ethanol, though it’s hard to determine how long that market will last. [http://policyeconomist.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/20070202allcorngraph2.png](http://policyeconomist.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/20070202allcorngraph2.png)
Cattle are not raised in the feed lots for their whole lives. They’re just fattened up before sale. Despite the large amount of corn, cattle still “tend to eat grasses.” I used those words specifically because I know that corn is a component of their diet.
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### Author:  [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/14 "2010-01-16T20:24:49Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#):
>
> Pig seams to be an anomaly that I can’t quite categorize. Of course that really demonstrates the issue with this question. There is likely a spectrum from white meat to red meat and the divisions may not allways be agreed upon. Then, of course, there is fish meat which is different from both.
Despite the “other white meat” ads a pig is red meat.
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/15 "2010-01-16T20:47:13Z")
> [@Odesio](#):
>
> Despite the “other white meat” ads a pig is red meat.
It is not straight up red meat. I can’t think of a preparation of pork looks like red meat. I agree that it isn’t really white either.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/16 "2010-01-16T22:11:08Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#):
>
> I thought rabbit meat was more like pork. I’ve never had squirrel or thrush. It surprises me that thrush is red meat. I would have assumed that thrush would be white like chicken.
It was mentioned above, but have you had duck? Definitely red meat. Goose? Red. Rabbit’s always been considered white meat, though, AFAIK.
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### Author:  [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/17 "2010-01-16T22:58:17Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#):
>
> It is not straight up red meat. I can’t think of a preparation of pork looks like red meat. I agree that it isn’t really white either.
How about ham?
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### Author:  [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/18 "2010-01-16T23:40:42Z")
I suppose ham is red, but I generally think of red meat being also partly texture. Also, I really don’t like ham, so it never occurred to me. Nevertheless, parts of a turkey are colored red, but I wouldn’t call a turkey red meat. Of course, this becomes a definition thing. I don’t think I would call duck red meat. It tastes like dark meat on a turkey, and I can’t make a steak out of it.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [January 16, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/19 "2010-01-16T23:53:37Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#):
>
> I suppose ham is red, but I generally think of red meat being also partly texture. Also, I really don’t like ham, so it never occurred to me. Nevertheless, parts of a turkey are colored red, but I wouldn’t call a turkey red meat. Of course, this becomes a definition thing. I don’t think I would call duck red meat. It tastes like dark meat on a turkey, and I can’t make a steak out of it.
The curing process also contributes to the red coloration of the ham. An uncured ham is the typical shade of beige/very light pink that pork is.
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### Author:  [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2010, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116/20 "2010-01-17T01:40:43Z")
To the OP: Summary [here.](http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/meat/meat-chart.html)
Basically, myoglobin is more prevalent in slow-twitch muscle fibers used for endurance feats like standing, walking, etc. and it’s presence makes meat redder. It’s less present in fast-twitch muscle fibers used for things like jumping, brief flight, changing body position, and other short movements.
Different species do different amounts of these task, and carry different amounts of myoglobin genetically, as well, so the range of red (dark) to white will be different in each beastie.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-determines-whether-an-animal-produces-white-meat-or-red-meat/525116.md?page=2)