If you’re a fan of bacon, then you may have noticed that after a day or two in the fridge, your rashers start to take on a different hue.
This is a greenish sheen which forms across the surface of the slices after they’ve been in the fridge.
You might be thinking that this is a very obvious sign that it’s time to throw out the bacon, but stay your hand.
Now that’s what I call proper bacon (Craig Allen / Getty)
This does not necessarily mean that your bacon is past the point of no return, as it’s a fairly common thing seen in the popular product.
In fact, it’s a part of how the bacon itself is manufactured and is a normal reaction.
Obviously this is only up to a point, if your bacon is the colour of freshly cut grass then you should probably get rid.
This hue is a bit more subtle, and is a chemical reaction in the bacon which happens because of how it’s made.
So what does it mean?
This is the hue we’re talking about (Reddit/WillardWhy)
One person took to Reddit to ask the question, posting: “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.”
People took to the comments on the social media platform to answer.
And the short answer is, it’s all down with the way bacon is made.
There are two ways to cure meat like bacon – dry curing and wet curing.
Wet curing is more popular among commercial manufacturers as it’s quicker, and sees a curing mixture injected into the meat.
Bacon is a staple at the breakfast table (Daniel Day / Getty)
One person 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.”
As for the green tinge itself, this is due to a reaction between the nitrates in the cure and a protein called myoglobin.
Myoglobin also features in steaks as it is often mistaken for blood when people cook them rare.
Of course, sometimes your bacon will be off and as with many thing food-related, if in doubt about something trust your nose.
If it smells off, the chances are it probably is off.
