We realised that it is important for hams and bacon to be pinkish especially when on display with other brands on supermarket shelves. Nobody is going to be picking up a packet of dull grey hams and bacon!
In our previous edition, we touched on the Natural Flavour ingredient containing polyphenols that have antioxidative properties.
This, together with the Vitamin C in the ingredient list, create an environment that stabilises the oxygenated myoglobin in red meat to keep the natural red colour of traditionally cured meat products.
When meat is cooked and processed, the balance between myoglobin and oxymyoglobin is disturbed. They suffer from oxidative stress and are reduced to brown metmyoglobin.
The antioxidant capacities of the recipe prevent the electron loss and as such keep the reddish colour of the red meat protein
In contrast, traditionally nitrite cured meats get their pink colour from nitric oxide reacting with the myoglobin proteins.
This only happens for red meat that has got significantly more myoglobin and hence, chicken and turkey breast ham does not turn pink.