Simple way to identify water-injected buffalo meat and beef

The recent series of arrests of traders who inject water into buffalo and beef has made many people worry that they are eating water-injected meat every day. The following method will help you identify water-injected buffalo and beef.

In recent days, there has been news that traders have injected dirty water and sedatives into buffalo, cows, pigs, etc. to increase their weight for illegal profits.

Each cow or buffalo after being pumped with water gains about 20% of its body weight, helping the owner earn 2-3 million VND. However, this behavior seriously affects health.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - Institute of Biotechnology and Food Technology (Hanoi University of Science and Technology) warned that pumping water into buffaloes and cows will create conditions for microorganisms to grow, causing food safety problems. The nutritional content of meat also changes due to the breakdown of muscle structure. Buffalo and cow meat is therefore no longer delicious and loses its nutritional value.

Even more dangerous is if the owner of the kiln uses unsanitary water from ponds or wells, the risk of meat being contaminated with diarrhea-causing bacteria such as E. coli and heavy metals is even greater. The consequences for consumers are also multiplied, especially for diners who prefer rare dishes.

Regarding how to identify water-injected buffalo and beef, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh said that in addition to being bright red, water-injected buffalo and beef will have elasticity when pressed with your hand, completely different from water-injected meat. However, this way of identifying is only relative.

According to experts, meat itself contains a certain amount of water, injecting water only increases the amount of water, without clearly seeing the change in the meat, just like injecting distilled water into the muscles. If we don't catch it red-handed, the only way to conclude whether the meat has been injected with water or not is to take the meat for testing.

A simple and effective way is for consumers to pay attention and choose products carefully. Avoid buying meat with unusual colors. It is best to choose food from reputable distributors, buy from acquaintances and have the seal of a veterinary unit.

On forums, housewives also share experiences and “tips” for choosing good buffalo and beef. The water-injected meat has an uneven, unnatural color. The outer membrane is very slimy or starts to get slimy, has no elasticity and when pressed with your hand, it feels mushy. If you observe closely, you will see water seeping out. When sliced, the meat does not stick to the knife, and when stir-fried, it shrinks.

In addition, it should be noted that in some cases, traders do not inject water but the meat is still plump, and when sliced, a lot of water is seen, it may be because the animal was fed a lot of growth hormones, so their meat retains water. When cooked, meat injected with water will release a lot of water, the meat will shrink more than normal.

Good beef has a dry, smooth piece of meat, small fibers, a bright color, and feels sticky to the touch (pressing your hand on the meat and removing it leaves no fingerprints). When slicing, the meat often sticks to the knife. When stir-frying, the meat will expand. Healthy buffalo meat is often dark pink, sometimes dark red, and the fibers are a bit rough. There is little fat on muscular buffalo meat, or if there is buffalo fat, it is usually white.

According to Giadinh.net