8 replies to this topic

[Alfiebru]

Hi

 

I was wondering if any could help me explain a customer complaint we had recently. It was regarding a raw sausage which from the outside looked to have a green object beneath the skin however as we opened the sausage the "green object" was in fact just a piece of white fat. It seemed to be shining through the skin giving a green hue, even though it was in fact white. I've started to explain this in our response to the customer however it sounds rather lacklustre. Anyone have any experience/ explanation why this could have happened? 

 

Thanks

[AHJ]

We often use the phrase "Thank you for bringing this concern to our attention. The root cause of this concern is undetermined at this time, however, it will remain the subject of further investigation." That usually satisfies most unexplained customer complaints.

 

Or if you use all natural ingredients something along the lines of "Due to the natural states of (insert said ingredients) a variance in coloring is expected. Although our quality team does our very best to offer a uniform product, when a product is released that does not meet our highest expectations it is our duty to rectify that concern. Please accept this (insert refund and/or coupon) as our deepest apology. Rest assured, upon investigation it has been determined that this variance in coloring is not indicative of a food safety concern." 

[Charles.C]

Hi

 

I was wondering if any could help me explain a customer complaint we had recently. It was regarding a raw sausage which from the outside looked to have a green object beneath the skin however as we opened the sausage the "green object" was in fact just a piece of white fat. It seemed to be shining through the skin giving a green hue, even though it was in fact white. I've started to explain this in our response to the customer however it sounds rather lacklustre. Anyone have any experience/ explanation why this could have happened? 

 

Thanks

Hi Alfiebru,

 

You might find this thread of interest -

 

https://www.ifsqn.co...pot-in-sausage/

[matthewcc]

I suppose I would go further and look at the skin microbiologically and make sure there was no reason it would cause the object to look green.  It's probably fine, but I would make sure.  Often I find that any customer complaint is implying that there's something wrong with the quality in some way.  Perhaps in this case they might think the green coloration indicates spoilage or mold or a foreign object, the last of which you have already ruled out.  Usually if we have a complaint about product having an "off" appearance in some way, then I will describe the steps we have taken to ensure the identity and purity of the product and, where appropriate, the results of the testing.

[CMHeywood]

It may be caused by thin film interference (see https://en.wikipedia..._interference).

 

This is what causes oil on water to have rainbow colors.  The oil is not colored.  Some wavelengths will interfere with each other (cancel each other out) and only one color will show in a certain area.

[Hank Major]

Green color on meat is sometimes the result of prolonged exposure to light.

[CMHeywood]

Two other possibilities:

 

Nitrite burn        https://lifehacker.c...reen-1792829627

Lactobacillus     https://www.ifsqn.co...pot-in-sausage/

[techmgr_uk]

This reminds me of a time when I was investigating a blue hue to mozzarella cheese.  It was such a bright blue that it almost looked dyed!

 

Turned out that it was microbiological - Pseudomonas fluorescens.  Might be worth considering?

[LDG_Honey]

I believe it is a simple optical phenomenon.
 

The skin of the sausage might look clear but it is most assuredly colored, probably around red-purple hues. Subtract red and purple from white light and you end up with green light. So white objects appears as if they were green.

It would be the same phenomenon for the bloods in our veins appearing blue when it is in fact Red or deep red. Our skin is yellowish-green, shifting red object toward blue tints.

 

The lighting used can have an impact on the perceived color also. Fluorescent lights tends to show thing greener than they really are because they do not emit continuous light spectrums.

Edited by LDG_Honey, 03 June 2019 - 01:21 PM.