Sausage Turned Grey in Freezer- Should I Eat This?

You might have kept sausages in your freezer, and suddenly you noticed they had turned grey. Most probably, many questions are flying in your mind right now. You must be thinking, why has the sausage turned grey in freezer?

Sausage turns grey in the freezer for a chemical reaction called oxidation. Since oxidation occurs when the food is exposed to air, chances are it happened with your sausages during the packing process. However, slightly grey sausage is still okay to eat, but you must eat this before it’s spoiled.

You can check whether the sausage has turned bad or not by following a few steps. Moreover, you might suffer from food poisoning by eating bad sausages. That’s why you need to know how to preserve your sausages properly.

To know more about these in detail, read the whole article!

Why Sausage Turned Grey in Freezer?

We all know that Sausages are made out of meat, and like any other meat item, sausage tends to change over time. One such changes in sausages are the change in color.  

If a sausage changes its color to grey, it might indicate that the meat has gone bad. Even if you keep the sausages in the freezer, they change.

But, doesn’t meat stay fresh for longer in the freezer? Yes, you may ask. And yes, they might.

Keeping meat items in the freezer usually increase their shelf life. It is also applicable for sausages too.

However, keeping them in the freezer doesn’t necessarily guarantee freshness. Now, you might be thinking, “does frozen sausage turn grey?” Even in the freezer?

The answer is yes. Sausages can turn grey.

The reason why sausage turns grey is oxidation. Meat sausages are red because of a protein called myoglobin that transports oxygen. But if the sausage is exposed to air for a long time, it changes color from red to grey. 

Then the important question you should ask yourself is, “is grey sausage bad?” This question doesn’t have a simplified answer. 

Oxidation is a natural process, and the greyish shade of sausage does not necessarily mean it has gone wrong. You can still eat the sausages if the interior of the sausages is good. But if the interior meat of the sausage also turns grey, you might have health issues after eating it.

However, the color change indicates that the sausage has been preserved for a long time. And thus it will not taste as good as a fresh sausage.  

How Can You Tell If Frozen Sausage Is Bad?

When eating non-fresh meat, you can not be too careful. It is crucial for sausages.

So the question you should ask yourself is, “can sausage go bad in the freezer?” Yes, even if you freeze your sausage, it can certainly go bad. 

There are a few methods to verify if your frozen sausages are safe to eat or not. It will help you to prevent potential illnesses.

Colour Check

Checking the color of the sausages is the quickest way to tell if they are still edible or not. The exterior of raw, premium ground breakfast sausage should be a vivid red or pink hue. 

Oxygen and oxymyoglobin, a meat pigment, interact to produce red coloration, resulting in a striking red hue on the meat’s exterior. Consequently, the interior of the sausages will typically be a greyish-brown hue. 

Keep in mind that the sausage might still be edible and in a safe condition.

On the other hand, the sausages might also show a blue or green tint on the outside. If it does, you must get rid of them immediately. 

Smell Check

Usually, uncooked sausages do not give off a strong smell. So, if the sausages are still good to go, they have a minimal scent.

However, if there is a foul and overpowering smell, the sausages have probably gone spoiled.

Texture Check

The sausages may have gone bad if a slimy coating has appeared on their surface. Even after cooking, the slimy texture may still be there.

The bacteria that make the sausages soft are not very dangerous, but throwing them away is still a good idea.

Expiry Date Check

Additional criteria for determining if your sausage is rotten or not is to check the expiration dates and sell-by dates.

A product’s sell-by date will let you know how long it can remain on sale at the supermarket. For instance, sausage can be stored in the refrigerator and safely consumed up to two days beyond its expiration date.

The product’s “best before” date or expiration date specifies how long it will probably retain its flavor and freshness before going bad.

What Happens If You Eat Bad Sausages?

You might be wondering what can go wrong if someone eats bad sausages. Well, a lot of things can go wrong. 

The majority of issues are related to your digestive system. You can experience a horrible stomach ache and excessive loose motions if the sausages are bad! In other words, severe food poisoning is possible.

The patients typically have symptoms including fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. You might even experience hypovolemic shock due to significant water loss, in which case resuscitation is necessary. Serious cases of the illness may even result in death!

Additionally, some people incline to eat suspiciously. They will be frightened even before they begin trying anything new to eat. It plays a significant role in neurogenic food poisoning.

Furthermore, foodborne illnesses may contain dangerous substances. Nitrate preservatives are used in meat products, but they can turn into compounds that cause cancer after a particular time. Therefore, it can pose a serious health risk!

Foods that have gone bad are bad for your health. Therefore, avoid eating expired food, even if it’s just a few sausages. Your health is important, after all!

Best Way to Freeze Uncooked Sausages

Sausages are delicious and easy to prepare. You can cook them on the barbecue, use them in a brunch dish, or prepare some sausage and potatoes. But one of the best things about sausages is that you can freeze them for use in your favorable time. 

So, you might be thinking about how you can freeze uncooked sausages. Well, all you need to do is follow the following steps, and you will be able to freeze your uncooked sausages.

Step 1: Measure up

You must divide the sausages below the freezing point. Put a number of sausages in the ziplock bag if you want to eat a lot of them in a single session. 

If you’re just planning to eat one or two sausages in one go, freeze them separately to avoid having any leftovers.

Step 2: Remove Excess Air

Once you put the sausages inside the bag, squeeze the bag to get rid of any extra air before you shut it.

This way, you will be able to prevent any bacteria from growing on the sausages. 

Step 3: Label and Freeze

Use a label maker or marker to write the storage date and contents on the ziplock bag. After that, keep it in the freezer.

This way, you will be able to track the age of the sausages.

Here are 3 best freezer ziplock bags you can use to keep your sausage to enjoy them longer.

FAQ’s:

• Can I eat expired sausage?

You can eat expired sausages if they still don’t indicate going bad. Expired sausages usually remain good to consume for up to 1-2 days. But you should expect a lower flavor and possibly a less appetizing texture of fresh sausage.

Regardless of the label’s sell-by, use-by, or best-by date, sausage can spoil before any of those dates. Manufacturing contamination could cause the product to be defective from the start. Over any date, believe in your senses.

• How long does vacuum-sealed sausage last in the freezer?

Any raw meat that has been vacuum-sealed can last anywhere from 1 to 3 years in the freezer. In contrast, the food items or raw meats can only last for a few months without being vacuum-sealed. 

Normally, air makes the meat items go bad as they react with oxygen. So, oxygen is removed in the vacuum sealing process to stop this reaction.

You should be aware of the difference between vacuum-sealed and those which are not sealed. Knowing the difference will help you properly preserve your sausages and make you aware of consuming them.

• What temperature should sausage be when it is cooked?

You can use a meat thermometer to check the interior temperature to see if it is finished. 155–165°F (68–74°C) should be reached by sausages.

Sausage undercooking is a regular issue. The sausage may appear fried on the outside yet still be raw inside. Eating these types of sausages will result in food poisoning.

Conclusion

Are you thinking – “why sausage turned grey in freezer?” – after bringing them out from the freezer.

Sausage may turn grey even when they are in the freezer due to oxidization. But you don’t need to panic just yet.

Discoloration doesn’t necessarily mean the sausage has become bad. The sausages are good to go as long as they smell good, look fine and firm, and don’t have a green or blue tint.

However, proper preservation is always needed to protect and enjoy your sausages for longer. Only by doing this will you be able to enjoy your sausages. Otherwise, you might suffer from various problems.