Why That Rainbow Shine on Your Ham Isn’t Always a Warning Sign
You’ve seen it before. You open a fresh pack of deli ham, and suddenly the slices flash with strange shades of green, blue, and purple—like an oil slick caught under kitchen lighting. For many people, that moment triggers instant panic and a fast trip to the trash can. Surely meat isn’t supposed to look like that… right?
Surprisingly, that rainbow shimmer is often completely harmless.
The Science Behind the “Meat Rainbow”
The colorful glow on sliced ham isn’t mold, chemicals, or spoilage. It’s a natural optical effect called iridescence, and it comes down to physics—not food safety.
Ham is made of tightly packed muscle fibers arranged in neat, parallel layers. When the meat is sliced thinly, especially against the grain, those fibers are exposed in a way that bends and splits light. Moisture on the surface helps reflect light at different angles, breaking it into multiple colors—just like a soap bubble or the surface of a CD.
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