What causes ground beef to turn grey?

Q: Is it safe to use raw ground beef that is red on the outside but gray inside? A: It should be fine. Meat contains a pigment called myoglobin that turns bright red when exposed to oxygen. read more

When beef is exposed to oxygen present in air, it causes the breakdown of the color pigment. The plastic film used for packaging beef in market is permeable to oxygen so continuous exposure to oxygen can lead to grayish brown color of ground beef. Change in color of beef does not indicate bad quality. read more

When ground beef turns gray October 12, 2012 at 12: 33pm May 17, 2016 by Mitchell Moser Sometimes when I open a package of ground beef, the meat has turned grayish brown on the inside. read more

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture points out, it’s common for the inside portion of packaged ground beef to become more brown or gray in color, even while the outside remains red. read more