How to check fresh meat in Dashain?

 How to check fresh meat in Dashain?

Many meat shops in Nepal are not constructed and operated scientifically. Due to carelessness there is a risk of bacterial infection in the consumer, the larvae of lice entering the body and different types of diseases. Therefore, you have to pay special attention to some things when buying meat.

Everyone should consider the danger of getting disease instead of nutrition from meat if they get spoiled meat while buying meat. Therefore, consumers should be aware of these things for healthy meat.

Color: Fresh meat should be dark natural color. For example, beef, pork, and chicken are usually dark red, pink, and white, respectively. However, if the color of the meat is light purple instead of red, it means that it has been exposed to oxygen. But it is not dangerous or harmful.

Smell: This is considered to be the easiest way to check the freshness of meat. Fresh meat does not have any kind of smell. There is no particularly strange smell. Strange odors can often be sour, bleach, ammonia or fishy.

Touch: You can also know the quality of meat by touch. Fresh meat is hard to the touch. To check whether the meat is fresh, you should gently press the meat with your fingers. If the meat is fresh, then after a while the meat will return to its original shape, no fingerprints will remain on the meat. If it is not fresh meat, it will have fingerprints on it. If the meat feels slippery to the touch, it is a sign that the meat is rotten.

Check for excessive 'Drop Loss': Drop loss refers to the liquid material that comes out of the meat due to gravity during storage and handling. If the drop loss of meat is excessive, it indicates that the meat is not fresh.

How to check freshness of fish

Looking at the eyes: The eyes of a fresh fish are clean, shiny and slightly protruding. Stale fish have dull and sunken eyes.

Gills: The gills of fresh fish are dark red or pink in color. It is also non-slippery. If the color of the gills is pale or brown, it is a sign that the fish is old.

Smell: Fresh fish has a slight sea or pond smell. If the fish has a strong smell, it indicates that it is stale.

Vent: The vent of the fish should not protrude. This also indicates that the fish is old.

Meat check: Even fresh fish has tough meat. When it is meat, fingerprints should not remain on it. This also indicates that the fish is stale.

(Rai is a teaching assistant at the Central Technology Campus in Dharan. She has a master's degree in food technology.)