Doctor explains how to distinguish real beef from fake beef treated with chemicals.

To avoid buying fake beef, consumers should check by touch, observe the color and texture of the meat, test it with clean water, or rely on its distinctive smell and taste when cooked.

Recently, authorities have uncovered numerous large-scale production facilities using chemicals to adulterate beef before releasing it onto the market. These fraudsters use pork as the base ingredient, mixing it with industrial salt (Sodium Metabisulfite), pig blood, and artificial coloring. After a sophisticated marinating process to deceive the eye, the unscrupulous traders package, freeze, and sell the product to consumers under the guise of pure, unadulterated meat.

Dr. Bui Hoang Bich Uyen, Specialist in Nutrition at Xuyen A General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, warns that the chemicals used in this counterfeiting technology pose immeasurable dangers to human health.

Specifically, sodium metabisulfite and synthetic dyes can cause allergic reactions, leading to a range of respiratory problems, neurological disorders, or behavioral issues with repeated exposure. More dangerously, the accumulation of these toxic substances over time can directly trigger cancer.

Meanwhile, legitimate manufacturers always adhere to strict regulatory limits when using food additives to ensure safety.

Authentic beef is bright red or dark red in color, with absolute uniformity from the outside to the inside. (Illustration: Bui Thuy)

To protect their families, homemakers can easily expose this trick right at the market through touch, sight, water testing, and smell identification. In the first step, buyers simply need to press firmly and rub their fingers on the surface of the meat. Products treated with chemicals will immediately transfer coloring or blood onto the hands, and will feel crumbly, with large, short fibers lacking elasticity. Conversely, genuine beef always retains its natural red color from deep within the muscle, with fine, smooth fibers that are pliable and slightly sticky to the touch.

When observing the appearance, discerning customers will notice that genuine pork is uniformly bright or dark red from the outside to the inside, with a characteristic layer of light yellow fat. In contrast, counterfeit pork has a bright red outer layer but a pale interior, revealing the opaque white fat of pork or beef that unscrupulous traders intentionally add. If still skeptical, buyers should ask the vendor to cut a small piece and immediately soak it in a glass of clean water. The water from counterfeit pork will quickly turn a deep red, while the meat itself will gradually lose its color.

In terms of smell and taste, authentic food always has a natural, earthy aroma and retains its rich, sweet flavor when cooked. In contrast, counterfeit products only emit a fake beef smell from the outer layer due to being soaked in blood, which evaporates quickly. When cooked, this type of meat tastes bland, or even has a strong antibiotic smell due to being from pigs raised for a long time.

Doctors recommend that people prioritize choosing food with clear origins at reputable supermarkets, stores, or outlets. Customers should avoid stalls selling unusually cheap meat or displaying unnaturally bright red pieces of meat. Shoppers should choose whole cuts of meat and ask vendors to cut it directly instead of pre-sliced ​​or marinated meat, as unscrupulous vendors can easily mix substandard products with these.

According to vnexpress.net

Source: https://baophutho.vn/bac-si-chi-cach-phan-biet-thit-bo-that-va-thit-gia-tam-hoa-chat-254439.htm