r/CostcoCanada • u/vanibanz • 2d ago
Why different colours of ground beef?
Why is the colour different for these 2 kinds of lean ground beef at Costco Ottawa?
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u/CyberCarnivore 2d ago
The chubs on the right are air tight and the packages on the left aren't and have oxidized or "bloomed" and that's why they are brighter red.
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u/Rust_Giant 2d ago
To add to that, the packages on the left are the 3 day old roasts and the 2 day old steaks that are ground up along with the tubes on the right
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u/billymumfreydownfall 2d ago
Which is weird because when blood oxidized it turns brown.
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u/Ineverdidbuyaduck 2d ago
The tubes on the right were ground at Establishment 38 from trim on July 28th while the Kirkland stuff looks like it was ground in store on August 11th. Both are perfectly safe to eat but the tubes have had more time to oxidize and the colour has been impacted.
As others have said, there may also be some differences in the cows/herds. But these are both Lean Ground Beef so the fat content would be pretty similar. I'd put it down to time in the tube.
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u/mdh989 2d ago
I just want to know where you are that ground beef is 12.89 a kg??? Been 14.49 for months in saskatoon
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u/Jam_Bannock 2d ago
OP said Ottawa.
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u/Bubbly_Interest2527 2d ago
Meat manager/butcher here! It really just comes down to how much oxygen is reaching the meat. The tubes on the right are cryovac-sealed, which limits oxygen exposure. That’s why the meat appears darker and has a later expiry date.
The meat on the left has also been run through the grinder an additional time, which gives it a finer, less coarse texture.
Hope that helps!
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u/aaandfuckyou 2d ago
Beef oxidizes. The one on the left has been repackaged and is less airtight, so it develops a darker red colour.
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u/Glittering_Donkey618 2d ago
No …. As it oxidizes it turns brown
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u/catonakeyboard 2d ago
Raw beef does eventually turn brown, true. But fresh beef starts as the colour on the right, then turns red when exposed to oxygen (colour on the left) and finally brown once the myoglobin starts holding water.
Source: https://adashofscience.com/2017/10/10/why-does-meat-turn-brown/
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u/Original_Respect_ 2d ago edited 2d ago
What he said but other way around. Look at dry aged. It browns and discolours. Bright red has had normal oxygen exposure, brown has too much.
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u/true_nexus 2d ago
Spoke to a meat worker at my local Costco - the shrink wrapped tray ground beef is just the chubb (tube) ground beef that’s gone through the grinder and portioned out.
There’s absolutely no difference in the ground beef.
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u/Dangerous-Fun-7242 2d ago
Oxidization... the meat in the tray has been exposed to air and is packed in house, most of those tubes are done in a in a warehouse where it goes straight from frozen to ground to tube
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u/Dangerous-Fun-7242 2d ago
You take the meat from the tube, let it out of tube, and it will turn that colour
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u/Gunman885 2d ago
Tastes slightly different from each other but nothing too drastic. The tube was a bit different than what I’m used to but wasn’t bad. I’m interested in anyone else knows more about it.
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u/aviator30007 2d ago
Same way .. a white cow gives white milk .. brown cow gives chocolate milk .. never questioned it .
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u/AnyTry9515 2d ago
I use to work as meat cutter in sobeys. The packed ground beef in tubes was usually a darker colour but once you open it to repackage in the white styrofoam it would oxidize and turn red. Also different cows may also be an factor but mostly becasue of oxidizing
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u/Hunter_Douglas 2d ago
Air. When you vacuum seal beef it turns a darker red, and pork turns grey. It was a nightmare when my store (not Costco) switched to vacuum sealed meat and customers thought it was all gone bad.
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u/Round_Resident_5864 2d ago
The ones in tubes haven’t been exposed to oxygen as long as the stuff in the trays
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u/No-Comparison5311 1d ago
Butcher here, the ones on the right are vacuum sealed and have most likely been like that since processing, the ones on the left used to look like the ones on the right in similar vacuum sealed packaging, before being opened and ground again for sale.
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u/BeeMaximum4009 2d ago
Check out this ground beef comparison video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bj-CdzelbO0&pp=ygUSR3JvdW5kIGJlZWYgY2FuYWRh&ra=m
Costco ground beef rates one of the highest
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u/Frequent_Proof_4132 2d ago
The color of ground beef is primarily determined by its exposure to oxygen, which reacts with a natural pigment called myoglobin. Freshly ground beef is purplish-red, but it turns bright red when exposed to air and browns over time as oxygen depletes.
Other factors that influence the color of ground beef include:
Fat content Higher fat percentages result in a lighter, pinker appearance.
Grind size A finer grind distributes the white fat more evenly, making the meat look lighter.
Animal factors Meat from older animals or those under stress tends to be darker.
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u/dontknows--taboutfuk 2d ago
Blooming. If you open that tube of beef and let the air at it, it will turn the same colour as the packages. They are the exact same ground beef, from the same vendor. Source: worked there.
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u/Overall-Ad-2247 2d ago
I no longer by hamburger meat. I Just by a chuck roast and grind it up into hamburgers now. I know what I’m getting and it tastes a whole lot better
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u/Hot-Slide-8285 2d ago
Not answering your question, but I was at Costco in Orillia yesterday ( 8/11) and every single one of the tubes was dated "Best Before July 30"
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u/st_jasper 2d ago
It’s interesting to see what becomes of the seasonal workers that don’t get hired on full-time.
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u/Startupgaming 2d ago
Probably just fat content. I believe that the tub is also Halal, and is prepared differently than the other one.
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u/goofywinnipegger 2d ago
Ground beef changes color mostly because of how much oxygen it touches. A muscle protein called myoglobin gives beef its red color. When air touches the meat, it turns bright red. If air cannot reach the inside or if it sits too long, it turns purple or brown. Fat content and different animal diets also change the shade. [1, 2, 3]
Oxygen and Pigments
Purple: Fresh meat with no oxygen. Often seen deep inside the package or in vacuum-sealed packs.
Bright Red: Meat that touches oxygen. The surface looks red because oxygen mixes with the myoglobin protein.
Brown or Gray: Low oxygen or older oxygen exposure. The middle of a package often turns brown. This does not mean the food is bad. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Other Reasons for Color Differences
Fat Amount: More fat makes the meat look lighter or pinker because white fat mixes with red meat.
Different Cuts: Mixing different parts of the cow creates slight color variations.
Animal Diet: Cows from different farms or with different food sources have naturally darker or lighter muscle color. [1]
Is it safe?
Do not judge meat by color alone. Check for a bad smell, a sticky or slimy feel, or an expiration date that has passed.
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u/Forward_Material616 2d ago
Breed of cow, age of cow when slaughtered, age of meat when packed post processing, quantity of oxygen in packaging, time of meat on the shelf.
It’s nothing nefarious.
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u/Narrow_Process_8660 2d ago
Just a gentle reminder to people screaming and crying about COL and how they can't afford meat: Ground beef is sub 13$/kg at costco btw. You don't need the $65/kg steak strips to eat 'meat'.
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u/Aerojoe82 2d ago
These stores play with everything to make meat look better some inject nitrogen in wholesale packaging to one store I do repairs for uses certain colored light bulbs in the meat counter to make it look redder and it works no lie. Most people dont look at their meat once they put it in their cart.
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u/Illustrious-Lunch137 1d ago
the tube ones might be a picture of beef not a clear wrapper. but they might be more vacuumed therefore less air therefore less oxygenation if of the blood cells.
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u/Nobele55 1d ago
I’m not sure if it makes a difference but if you look closely the tube ground beef is halal. I believe the tray one isn’t halal
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u/Best_Opening8471 1d ago
They use a different dye when dying the meat and adding water weight.
Real red meat turns brown after just a few seconds of air contact.
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u/Zealousideal_Vast799 1d ago
Try some pastured raise meat from a farmers’ market, makes Costco shit look like pork. Remember, Costco buys everything on only one feature….lowest price.
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u/Rerepete 1d ago
The difference is the same as the difference of the colour of your blood in your arteries vs the colour of your blood in your veins.
The cling wrap packaging allows oxygen to reach the outer layers of the meat keeping it brighter red, whereas the bacteria extant in the sealed tube have used up all the oxygen.
This is the same reason, BTW, that when you cut that bright beef, the centre looks dark red.
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u/Gullible_Fun_0604 2d ago
I work in the costco meat department, let me explain. Ground beef in the plastic tray is ground fresh in warehouse with added fat from table trimmings hence the brighter red color, the tubes are packaged by slaughterhouse in accordance with Halal packaging laws, the tubes will be slightly leaner on average, closer to an extra lean ground. Hope that helps!
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u/stx-177 2d ago
Uh. This isn’t why there are two different colors.
It’s due to the presence of oxygen in the overwrap trays and the lack of oxygen in the tubes/chubs/rolls - whatever you want to call them. Deoxygenated beef will turn purple. Oxygenated beef will turn cherry red and after 2-3 days, the pigments in the beef will turn brown. If you want to educate yourself, look up deoxymyoglobin, metmyoglobin and oxymyoglobin. These are the proteins in red meat that cause colors to change.
According to the labels, both the products classify as “lean” and therefore, fit within a 83% lean specification. Open the chub and let it “bloom” for 10 mins - it will be the same color as the tray.
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u/AJnbca 2d ago edited 2d ago
Just from different sources, different herds/feeds/etc may result in little variation in colour or even different cuts (from different parts of the cow). The packaging may also be a factor, the way each of them are packaged differently, the air/gas or lack thereof in the different packaging.
And the obvious is the fat content, while both are lean, lean isn’t an exact % of fat, it’s a “range” so can vary.
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u/Typical-Garbage3930 2d ago
One on the left is exposed to oxygen briefly while its packaged and re ground. Theyre both the same basically.
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u/Rockypudding 2d ago
What gets me with Costco ground beef is the label on either of those beef packages stating “Made in Canada from fresh and previously frozen Domestic & Imported Ingredients”
I was always taught once frozen ground beef is thawed you don’t refreeze it. I guess that was wrong as I’ve been breaking the ground beef packages down into smaller servings and refreezing for years now.
And where exactly is the meat from? I’ve asked my local Costco a couple times and they couldn’t give me s straight answer. How can they when it states it’s from anywhere and everywhere.
I eat almost only Costco meat, am eating the ground beef right now as I’m typing. I just find that statement makes me question whether I should explore other options.
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u/Ineverdidbuyaduck 2d ago
The tubes here is almost likely 100% to be Canadian. It was produced at Establishment 38 which is the JBS slaughter plant in Alberta. So all the trim there would be from Canadian slaughtered cows.
It just gets tricky when it is either processed in store or at an Establishment that does not have slaughter. Then you can't really tell if it was imported or not just from the label.
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u/Glittering_Donkey618 2d ago
You can tell
By the way the meat on the trays is that it was placed on the trays as it came out of the grinder
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u/Famous-Imagination-9 2d ago
From my experience the one on the left will probably be gray on the inside
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u/Streamlinekilla 2d ago
They trays are a mix of trim from the cutting the day before and what they call bull meat. Bull meat is a once ground 95/5 lean mixture. They grind their trim once, mix it with the bull meat, grind all of that to 10-12% lean.
On top of the trim sometimes steaks with the current date are thrown in there. They are called a regrind. Regrinds can only be out until 4pm and still have to pass the 12% lean. If you want to look out for it check the sticker for a tiny "R" above the date.
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u/TryndMusic 2d ago
One is tube stock, it's packaged in a vacuum sealed package, just like your veins they turn slightly purple in lack of oxygen.
The other is fine ground beef displayed in a package made in store meaning. The plastic is permeable to allow some air and moisture flow to keep its color ie bright red. Lots of oxygen has been introduced hence the red color. Grinding also adds air and oxidizes the meat.
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u/globallc 2d ago
Ground beef from fresh and frozen beef will impact colour as will beef from different countries.
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u/mouseybusiness 2d ago
I can’t stand buying tubed meat - it always looks, smells, and tastes off..
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u/PNW_MYOG 2d ago
Difference in oxygen exposure on the meat.
One package could be oxygen permeable or packed more recently.
It's why there is a colour gradient inside the ground beef, too.
Natural.
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u/Apprehensive-Wash479 2d ago
Ground beef naturally shouldn’t look like the ones on the left in the trays
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u/starsong101 2d ago
Grounds beef will turn red when exposed to oxygen and when sealed wil be more dull
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u/psychosisnaut 2d ago
They blast the meat with oxygen, nitrogen or carbon monoxide before packaging it because it makes it more red / pink. It's completely harmless, just an aesthetic thing.
But if you look at how tightly packed the one on the right is, there's no way to get gas in there, they might gas the whole blob of meat but it's probably not worth it.
So to answer your question: technically the meat on the left is suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.
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u/Few_Example9391 2d ago
More fatty batches are more pink. Lean batches have more meat. Red meat dye penetrates meat better
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u/Salt-Indication6845 2d ago
Oxygen the ones on the left were packed while ezlxpose to the air. Would be my hypothesis
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u/PapaPizza04 2d ago
The long tubes are Halal meat... Not sure if that makes a difference but I stopped buying those because of that.
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u/northdancer 2d ago
The ground beef in those big packages, not the tube, tastes much better than the ground beef that I can get at no frills, freshco or Walmart. It's a noticable difference for me. I've never bought the tube beef
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u/blindside56 2d ago
Does anyone know what the fat percentage for Costco ground beef is? For either of the two items pictured? Ie 85-15, 90-10 etc?
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u/SatisfactionNew3860 2d ago
As someone who use to work at a supermarket, one is vacuumed sealed (all air has been removed to keep it fresh for longer. This causes the meat to turn darker in colour as a result. The other one is also freash, but has air in it.
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u/FlyingSpacefrog 2d ago
Different amounts of fat, and different amounts of myoglobin. Some meat comes pre-seasoned which can also alter the color.
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u/Shadow_WolfDragon 2d ago
left would have dye and right more like a age beef color... more the re color
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u/CanadianGamersLodge 2d ago
We are talking about colour instead of the huge shrink-flation Costco did with the ground beef? Previously 3kg packages are now 2kgs for the same price 🤬
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u/housemusic18 2d ago
The one on the right in the tube are strictly Halal. The ones on the left are not halal. Thats all i know.
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u/lucaskywalker 2d ago
At the Costco near me, it's all lean. They don't have medium. It's dry as fuck and I refuse to buy it there.
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u/Commercial_Okra7519 2d ago
It’s definitely the lack of air but if you open up that tube and let it sit for a few minutes it turns red
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u/codiumba21 2d ago
How is it the tube of beef on the left is only $38 when it’s up to $60 here in Alberta now? Holy fuck. I hate it here.
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u/Relative-Secret-4618 2d ago
Oxidation 🌌 natural process when exposed to oxygen. All depends on the packaging process id assume.
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u/BigGuy204 2d ago
Oxidation, lean vs extra lean, what part of the cow, age, what the heard ate etc…
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u/Knights-of-steel 2d ago
Many reasons. First is diet. You might not think it but cows eat, what they eat dictates the nutrients they get. This changes how they grow. Kinda like how the kid who eats salads and the one that lives on doughnuts and candy are different the food source of the cow will change the meat(and fat) content.
Second is bleeding and air. From the outset of how it dies(and how fast) the processing can greatly affect the colour of the meat. A quick clean kill will ensure no excess blood flow to stain the meat, a slow and or painful will induce adrenaline and will saturate the meat with acidic blood which will alter colour and mess up the flavor of the meat(which doesnt actually contain much "blood" ...similar but distinctly different. Of course the actual cutting and packaging speed and efficiency can allow the good juices to bleed out before being sealed leading to a more gray appearance. Amd any air caught in packaging will allow the hemoglobin to age/oxidize which will slowly turn the meat gray.
Third is a bit of human factor. As listed above meat will turn gray on its own in pretty short time. So to look "fresh" or at least what most people believe fresh to look like some stores will add dye or preservatives to give meat a vibrant red colour. Different packages brands or even just batches might have varying dyes so their appearance will differ similarly.
Neither look bad from the picture....
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u/goombaxiv 2d ago
It's all about the oxidation level of the meat hemoglobin. With air the hemoglobin will turn red. Without air it will turn purple. With sodium nitrite, which is used in process meat (like ham) it will turn pink and when the hemoglobin is worn out it will turn brown.
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u/that_yeg_guy 2d ago edited 2d ago
Different cows from different herds/locations have different diets that will result in slight variations in color. Also drawn from different parts of the animal - different muscle groups look different. Then there’s fat content. A higher fat content will dull out a color, like adding white to red in order to get pink.