If you enjoy bacon, you might have observed that after a couple of days in the fridge, your slices begin to show a different tint.
This greenish sheen appears on the surface of the bacon after some time in the refrigerator.
You may think this is an obvious signal to discard the bacon, but hold off for a moment.
This greenish tint does not always mean your bacon is spoiled, as it is a common occurrence in the product.
In reality, it is part of the bacon’s manufacturing process and is a normal reaction.
Of course, if your bacon is vividly green like fresh grass, it should be discarded.
This subtle hue results from a chemical reaction in the bacon due to its production method.
So, what does this mean?
Someone on Reddit queried: “I opened it this morning, and the bacon looks kind of green.
“But only from a certain angle, almost like it’s iridescent! From the left, it looks regular pinkish red, meat colour. But then I lean to the right, and it has this green shine.”
Commenters on the platform provided answers.
And the short answer is, it has to do with the way bacon is produced.
There are two primary methods to cure bacon: dry curing and wet curing.
Wet curing is more favored by commercial producers because it is faster and involves injecting a curing mixture into the meat.
One Reddit user explained: “Because wet curing is much faster than dry curing, it’s become the preferred method for many large commercial brands.
“Most bacon today is cured through wet curing. Curing ingredients like salt, sugar, seasonings, sodium nitrate and other chemicals are mixed to create a brine that the bacon is soaked in or injected with.”
The green tinge occurs due to a reaction between nitrates in the cure and a protein called myoglobin.
Myoglobin is also present in steaks and is often mistaken for blood when cooked rare.
Nevertheless, if your bacon seems off, trust your sense of smell as with other food-related concerns.
If it smells bad, it probably is bad.