Why are ostrich meat red?

It is no coincidence that ostrich meat is red, which is related to their muscle type.

2.7 meters tall and possesses long legs, big bodies and big eyes like children 's hands - these are the characteristics of an adult ostrich. They are the largest bird on the planet and can even kill a lion with just one kick.

Ostrich has a difference with the brothers in the bird family that they cannot fly. However, that cannot make it difficult to escape from predators because they can sprint at speeds of up to 70km / h and run long distances at speeds of about 50km / h. That's why ostriches are known as the fastest bipedal animals in the world.

Mature ostriches can be as high as 2.7m.

Their speed became even more impressive when considering that they weighed more than 180kg. Although it can't fly, ostrich wings are not useless. They help ostriches keep their balance while running and act as rudders to quickly change direction with the fastest speed. Besides, ostriches also use large wings to attract their partners during the breeding season.

How Stuff Works, ostriches live mainly in desolate deserts so they are often very flexible in the diet. They can eat almost everything: plants, lizards, nuts, grasshoppers and gravel (because gravel helps them crush food more easily during digestion).

For farmed ostriches, the easy-to-eat characteristic has made them a relatively high-yield investment. They grow fast, consume less food and reproduce more often than some other animals. In the United States, ostrich meat is considered a highly valued specialty dish.

In the United States, ostrich meat is considered a highly valued specialty dish.

Why is ostrich meat special? The first thing to mention is that although ostriches are poultry, their flesh is red and not white like most other birds . Moreover, this red ostrich meat, which has the same color and taste, has less fat, calories and cholesterol than beef and even other white poultry meats such as chicken and Turkey.

In fact, there is a close relationship between muscle type and the color of animal meat. "Red meat" is a pre-cooked red meat such as beef, deer and ostrich meat. "White meat" usually has a very pale color before cooking and includes chicken and pork. "Black meat" is often associated with the darker flesh and has a higher fat content in white meat animals (such as chicken wings and thighs). Rabbit meat is also considered "black meat".

The main factor determining whether animal meat is white meat or red meat is that their muscles belong to a type of muscle that is rapidly contracting or with a slow muscle contraction. Slow muscle contraction is often used in prolonged activities such as walking, standing or flying. It contains a lot of myoglobin - a protein that stores large amounts of oxygen to support long-lasting activities. Like cows, ostriches spend most of their time standing and walking. Even their wing parts work relatively often because they act like "rudders". Ostrich muscle is mainly slow-spaced so their flesh is red.

Chicken and turkey do not use as much muscle as ostriches.

On the other hand, chickens and turkeys do not use muscles as much as ostriches. Most of their muscle mass is a fast-acting muscle used for activities such as fast jumping. Rapid contractions do not contain much myoglobin but mainly use pale glycogen. So the animals of the muscle type have a quick white flesh.

However, an interesting exception is the "black meat" in poultry . Body parts that work as much as the legs (often moved by chickens) contain more myoglobin than their breast. Therefore, meat in chicken legs is classified as black meat, not white meat like other parts.

In fact, they don't really hide their heads in the sand when they're in danger and this is just a misunderstanding that makes ostriches sound unjustly! With relatively fast running speeds, they can escape the enemy's hunt instead of just standing still. In the event that they cannot escape, they will apply their neck to the ground and curl into a block to take advantage of their dark color to disguise themselves as rocks or shrubs.