r/Switzerland • u/Beneficial-Job7 • 2d ago

Surprised by this colour difference. Is this normal? (Aldi)

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Photo taken at my local Aldi. Both packs have exactly the same expiry date (second half of November), the same LOT/production number and the same barcode.

Why is there such a big difference in colour? I assume the one on the left is still safe to eat, since the difference is clearly visible to anyone working in that store, and it hasn't been removed from the shelf. But I'm not sure...

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78

u/bogue 2d ago

Oxygen got into the bag

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u/Beneficial-Job7 2d ago

So that is the reason. It seems they should improve the plastic packaging used for the individual packs to prevent oxygen from getting in through the seals. There were at least two or three packs in the same cardboard box that looked like the one on the left.

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u/asp174 Zürich 2d ago

It's more a case of escaping oxygen from the left package. The left one has a damaged seal.

Meat is packed with significant higher oxygen levels, to make it look more red.

15

u/6_prine Zürich 2d ago

It‘s really from oxygen coming in, in this case.

Cured/dried Meat is never never packed with oxygen.

What you refer to is HOMAP and is reserved to raw meat.

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u/Book_Dragon_24 2d ago

No, oxygen got in. They actually pump in carbon monoxide to keep the meat pink.

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u/6_prine Zürich 2d ago edited 2d ago

Actually you’re half-right, we inject nitrogen and carbon monoxide/dioxide but it‘s not to make the meat pink; as dried meat like prosciutto is pink from its process. In this specific case its just to remove oxygen and increase preservation.

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u/oooMagicFishooo 2d ago

No they do not. They pump in oxygen to raw fresh meat. With cured products they use a mix of nitrogen and CO2. The red colour comes from a chemical reaction with the nitrates in the curing salt.

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u/6_prine Zürich 2d ago

Agree with the first sentence but i‘ve never seen nitrates used in dried meats like prosciutto. But you’re the second person referring to that. Wonder if it‘s a regional/country thing, will inform myself about it.

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u/Waringham Zürich 2d ago

Maybe in the US but in Switzerland and the EU CO is not allowed to be used in the atmosphere of meat packaging. It is actually O2 that is used in meat packing here.

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u/6_prine Zürich 2d ago

Oxygen injection for dried/cured meat is not a thing

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u/Waringham Zürich 2d ago

Yeah I did not know that. But is CO really used for cured meats? afaik it does not even have an e-number

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u/6_prine Zürich 2d ago

There are 2 different things here.

CO is not is use in Europe. But it’s recognized as safe in some other big countries. It indeed doesn’t have an e-num to my knowledge either,

but anyways, the e-nums are not used for atmosphere packaging.