MEAT TECHNOLOGY: TYPES OF MEAT
Diagram
What makes meat red or white
Red meat
Meat from mammals: beef, pork, lamb and goat. It looks red or dark pink because its muscle holds a lot of myoglobin.
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Myoglobin
Myoglobin is the pigment that stores oxygen in muscle. More myoglobin means darker meat and a stronger meaty flavour.
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White meat
Meat from poultry such as chicken and turkey, and fish in everyday use. It holds much less myoglobin, so it looks pale.
Figure 1: Red meat is dark because of myoglobin in the muscle; white meat holds far less of it. Drawn in our own style from the meat composition discussion in Toldra, Lawrie’s Meat Science, 9th ed., chapter 19.
Introduction
Red meat and white meat are the two everyday groups of meat, and the difference between them is the animal and the pigment in its muscle. Red meat comes from mammals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, while white meat comes from poultry such as chicken and turkey, and the word is also used for fish. The colour itself comes from myoglobin, the pigment that stores oxygen in muscle.
The core difference is myoglobin content: red meat holds much more myoglobin than white meat, so it is darker, and it is usually richer in iron. That is why a beef steak is dark red while a chicken breast is pale, even though both are muscle.
Quick comparison
Table 1: Red meat compared with White meat
| Aspect | Red meat | White meat |
|---|---|---|
| Source animal | Mammals: cattle, pigs, sheep, goats | Poultry such as chicken and turkey; fish in everyday use |
| Colour | Red or dark pink when raw | Pale pink or white when raw |
| Myoglobin | High: myoglobin stores oxygen in the muscle | Low: much less myoglobin in the muscle |
| Iron | Generally richer in iron, carried with the myoglobin | Generally lower in iron |
| Fat | Fat is often found in visible seams and marbling through the meat | Usually leaner, with less visible fat in the flesh |
| Flavour | Stronger, more pronounced meaty flavour | Milder flavour |
| Cooking | Often cooked to a range of doneness, from rare to well done, according to the cut | Usually cooked right through before eating |
| Typical cuts | Steak, chops, roasts and mince from beef, pork and lamb | Breast, thigh, drumstick and whole bird from chicken and turkey |
| Storage and shelf life | Kept chilled; minced red meat spoils faster than whole cuts because more surface is exposed | Kept chilled; poultry spoils fast and needs careful chilling for the same reason |
| Use in the diet | A source of protein, iron and zinc | A source of protein, usually with less fat per serving |
Scientific explanation
Definition
Red meat is meat from a mammal, and its red colour comes from myoglobin in the muscle. Lawrie’s Meat Science covers meat composition and nutritional value in chapter 19, and the book’s index lists myoglobin among the key terms of muscle chemistry. White meat is meat from poultry, and in everyday use the term also covers fish: its muscle holds far less myoglobin, so it stays pale.
Pork needs care here: pork comes from the pig, which is a mammal, so by the science it is a red meat even though some advertising has called it the other white meat. The colour rule follows the animal and its myoglobin, not the marketing name.
Working principle
Myoglobin is the pigment that holds oxygen inside muscle fibres so the muscle can work. Muscles that work hard and steadily, such as the leg muscles of a grazing animal, hold more myoglobin and look darker. Muscles that work in short bursts, such as a chicken breast, hold less and look paler.
When meat is cut and exposed to air, myoglobin changes form and the colour changes with it, which is why fresh cut meat blooms to a brighter red and old meat turns brown. The amount of myoglobin present sets the starting colour, and that is the real difference between the two groups.
Apparatus
The books used for this article name no single standard apparatus for telling red meat from white meat: the distinction is made by the species of the animal and by the colour of the muscle. In a laboratory, myoglobin content can be measured by spectrophotometry, and iron content by mineral analysis, but no such instrument is part of the everyday definition.
Measurement procedure
There is no standard measurement procedure for this comparison in the books used here. In practice the meat is identified by its species and cut, and its colour is judged by eye on the freshly cut surface. Where a laboratory value is needed, myoglobin is extracted from the muscle and its amount is read from its light absorption.
Factors affecting readings
The age of the animal matters: older animals usually have darker meat because myoglobin builds up with age. The muscle matters too: a hard working leg muscle is darker than a little used muscle from the same animal. Diet, exercise and the time since slaughter also shift the colour, so two cuts of the same red meat can look different.
Formulas and calculations
The books used for this article give no formula for this comparison, so none is given here. The comparison is qualitative: it rests on definitions, materials and method, not on a calculation.
Industrial applications
- Red meat is used for steaks, roasts, chops and mince, where its colour and flavour are part of the product.
- White meat is used for chicken breasts, whole roast birds and turkey products, where a mild flavour and pale colour are wanted.
- Red meat is used in cured products such as ham and salami, where its colour and iron content suit long curing.
- White meat is used in formed and breaded products such as chicken nuggets, where a pale, mild flesh is wanted.
- Both are used in ready meals, with the choice set by flavour, colour and cost.
Advantages and limitations
- Red meat, advantage: rich in iron and zinc and strong in flavour, so a small serving gives a lot of nutrition.
- Red meat, limitation: usually higher in fat and stronger in flavour, so it suits fewer mild dishes.
- White meat, advantage: lean and mild, so it fits a wide range of dishes and is easy to season.
- White meat, limitation: lower in iron, and it dries out quickly if it is overcooked.
FAQ
Is pork a red meat or a white meat?
Pork is a red meat by the science: the pig is a mammal and pork muscle holds myoglobin. The phrase the other white meat is advertising, not a scientific classification.
Is fish a white meat?
In everyday use, yes: fish flesh is pale and low in myoglobin, so people group it with white meat. In strict meat science, fish is treated as its own group, separate from meat from land animals.
Why is beef darker than chicken?
Beef muscle holds much more myoglobin than chicken muscle, and myoglobin is the pigment that makes meat look red. A chicken breast works in short bursts and stores little oxygen, so it stays pale.
Does red meat always have more fat than white meat?
Not always: a lean beef steak can be leaner than a chicken thigh with skin. As a rule, though, red meat cuts carry more visible fat and marbling than a skinless chicken breast.
Does the colour tell me if meat is fresh?
Colour alone does not prove freshness: fresh cut red meat blooms bright red in air and turns brown as it ages, but brown meat is not always spoiled and red meat is not always fresh. Smell, texture and date marks matter too.
References and further reading
- Fidel Toldra, Lawrie’s Meat Science, 9th ed. Woodhead, 2022 (Google Books page read)
- Carrick Devine and M. Dikeman (eds.), Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences, 2nd ed. Elsevier, 2014
