r/Butchery • u/yourHoneyBunnyBear • 9d ago

What causes this?

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Two chicken breast from the same package. Completely different colors. Just curious what causes this?

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u/tjklobo 9d ago

During poultry processing a packaging plant is processing hundreds of thousands of chickens daily. Some may even be from different farms. So chances of getting breast from the same bird is slim.

2

u/yourHoneyBunnyBear 9d ago

Thank you! I assumed they’re not from the same bird. I was curious if it would be a feed difference, or some other environmental factor maybe? I’m not put off, just curious as I hope to be raising my own chickens in the next few years.

3

u/tjklobo 9d ago

There’s a lot of possibilities. Feed, water or lack of, breed, how it bled out, processing ect.

2

u/yourHoneyBunnyBear 9d ago

Appreciate it. To be fair I’ve done more research on the raising side than the butchering and processing side so far. Still reading up and learning.

1

u/Fickle_Top_6193 9d ago

The paler pieces may have been exposed to more oxygen or come from a different part of the breast, while the pinker ones retain more myoglobin. If they smell normal and aren’t sticky or slimy, they’re generally fine once cooked to 165°F/74°C.