How to Tell If Beef Is Spoiled

Watch more Food Safety & Freshness videos: howcast.com/videos/405628-How-to-Tell-If-Beef-I…



Step 1: Inspect the beef
Inspect the raw piece of beef. Beef that has spoiled will have a change of color and will have faded or darkened. Fresh meat is purplish in color and will change to a cherry red color when exposed to oxygen. Grey, green, or brown coloring may indicate spoiled beef.

Tip
The color of beef is also influenced by the age, species, sex, and diet of the animal. Meat from an older animal and exercised muscles may be darker.

Step 2: Smell
Smell the beef. Spoiled beef has an off-odor. It may have an ammonia or sulfur smell.

Step 3: Touch
Touch the beef. Spoiled beef feels tacky to the touch.

Step 4: Inspect cooked beef
Inspect cooked beef. Spoiled cooked beef will be sticky or slimy and have an unpleasant odor.

Step 5: Discard
Do not consume spoiled beef; discard it and order in instead!

Did You Know?
The introduction of cattle cars and refrigerated cars on the railroad made distribution of beef possible.