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Our weekly news column bringing the most current, non-biased health
information to the consumer. |
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November 25, 2008 |
A Publication of QVHD |
Pink Turkey?
By: V. Deborah Culligan, RN, MPH,
Deputy Director QVHD
Have you ever cooked meat
to the recommended temperature (checked by a meat thermometer) yet it
still appears pinkish? This seems to happen on occasion with pork or
poultry. So, even though the thermometer says it is cooked to a safety
level, is it safe to eat if it is pink? The answer is yes. But why is it
pink? The following information from an article produced by the Food
Safety and Inspection Service, USDA, explains why.
To understand some of the causes of “pinking” or “pinkening” in fresh
turkey, it's important to know first what gives meat its natural color.
The protein myoglobin is the major pigment found in all vertebrates and
can exist in various forms which determine the resulting meat color. The
major reason that poultry meat is much lighter in color than beef is
that it is dramatically lower in myoglobin.
What causes well-done meat to be pink? There are several factors. The
first is that chemical changes occur during cooking. Scientists have
found that pinkness occurs when gases in the atmosphere of a heated oven
react chemically with hemoglobin in the meat tissues to give poultry a
pink tinge. They are the same substances that give red color to smoked
hams and other cured meat. The presence of high levels of myoglobin, or
some of its redder forms, can account for poultry having a pink to red
color similar to that of an undercooked product. Second, a component of
hemo-protein in the turkey meat, cytochrome c requires a much higher
temperature (above 212 ° F) to lose its pink color than myoglobin
requires. Because turkey is tender and done at 180 to 185 ° F, heating
it to above 212 ° F to change the pink color of cytochrome c would make
it so dry and tough, it would be almost inedible. Third, there are
naturally present nitrites. Nitrites are commonly used to produce a
desired pink color in traditionally cured meats such as ham and bologna.
So it follows that the natural presence of nitrates and nitrites either
in the feed or water supply used in the production of poultry are a
factor in nitrite levels in the birds. Last, grilling can affect color.
Meat and poultry grilled or smoked outdoors can also look pink, even
when well done. There may be a pink-colored rim about one-half inch wide
around the outside of the cooked meat. The meat of commercially smoked
turkeys is usually pink because they are prepared with natural smoke and
liquid smoke flavor.
Well, that's all very interesting, but can you eat pink turkey? The best
way to be sure—a turkey or any meat— is cooked safely is to use a meat
thermometer . If the temperature of the turkey as measured in the thigh
has reached 180 ° F and is done to family preference, all meat—including
any the remains pink—is safe to eat. Absent a meat thermometer, visual
signs of doneness include checking the color of the juices which run
when the turkey is pierced with a fork. Juices should be clear, not
pink. The meat should be fork tender, and the leg should move easily in
the joint. A thermometer is superior to a visual check.
For additional food safety information about meat, poultry or eggs, call
toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-(800) 535-4555 ; or
District residents can call QVHD, 248-4528 for a packet on food safety,
or request on line, www.qvhd.org.
| An Ounce of Prevention is a
publication of the Quinnipiack Valley Health District, located at
1151 Hartford Turnpike, North Haven, CT 06473. Telephone:
248-4528. An Ounce of Prevention is
written by V. Deborah Culligan. The articles are published in the following local newspapers, The Advisor &
Beth-Wood News.
The content is provided as health education and
information to help you make health decisions. It is not intended to
be legal or medical advice, or substitute for recommendations made
by your health care provider. Address all comments to the district
office. |
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