What is That Red Liquid in Grocery Store Red Meat Packages?

with a protein called myoglobin, which naturally occurs in muscle tissue.

Once you know what’s actually happening, that little red puddle suddenly makes a whole lot more sense!

So, Is the Red Liquid Blood?
In most cases, no.

Fresh meat can contain small amounts of residual blood, but commercial meat is processed and drained of most of its blood before it reaches the grocery store.

The reddish liquid you see in a package of beef is largely a combination of:

Water naturally present in the muscle
Myoglobin
Other dissolved meat

There’s more to discover. Continue to the next page for the rest of this article.