Why does packaged turkey meat smell like a fart?
 

Every single package of turkey sandwich meat, brand new and fresh outta the seal, smells like a fart. Does anybody know why?

I don't know why, but I know exactly what you're talking about. It's pretty gross...

Its the sulfur.

Turkey has a larger than average proportion of methionine and cysteine which are both sulfur bearing amino-acids. Cysteine being the most likely offender due to the pKa of the sulfhydryl (thiol) group.

[edit: missed 'hy' in sulfhydryl]

Translation please.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Turkey's cell, and therefore turkey meat have the 2 above mention amino acid (as part of proteins) relatively more than other meat. Methionine and cysteine have sulfur in it. Under the condition (in the can/package) cysteine's sulfur are most likely to cause the smell.

That is on package of meat that I open and then throw away a couple days later because I am worried that it is spoiled.

/off topic

Please don't use purple!!!:eek:

What's wrong with the purple?

/some more off topicness

It really is hard to discern the text for us old-fart default "TFP Green" readers.

I use Sandy Brown as a color, if at all, because it is nearly readable in every style except brilliant white (vbulletin 3?).

---------- Post added at 06:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:32 PM ----------

To veer back onto the rails, I haven't bought packaged turkey in years for the specific reason that I have come to abhor the sulfurous odor that is emitted from the meat, because if not wrapped tightly after opening, it pervades strongly into nearly all other foods in the refrigerator. Also, it is the only cold meat I know that can actually become soggy; that's not a pretty sight at all, and even less so when texturized and masticated within the mouth. Ugh.


Honestly, these days, if I need a cold meat for a quick and lazy lunchtime sandwich, I always opt for pastrami, and on occasion, chicken breast (which for whatever reason, is hard to find in local Whole Foods/generic markets). I never garnered an acquired taste for ham, and bologna absolutely disgusts me. It was hard to give up on prepackaged turkey, but now that I talked up the local butcher, I get my turkey clean shaven on the spot and with a discount. :thumbsup:

Oh. I forget that not everybody uses blacksmart...

please tell me you had to look that up. I'm gonna feel even dumber if theres people who just carry that kind of info around in their head.

It's because turkeys hate you.

Well, the guys packaging the turkey meat often fart in the bag before it is sealed :)

turkey does smell like shit, so does most all packages deli meat.

It's not only deli meat. I used to work for a restaurant called Village Inn and the turkey they got in was deboned and put in a sealed package before sent to us. Then we'd open the huge packages and cut it into slices.

Worst smell ever...

Nah, that was off the top of my head. Too many years in school will do that to you. Hell, I even checked to see if I could still draw out the molecular structure for Cysteine :p as it turns out, yes, yes I can - its one of the simple ones actually.

---------- Post added at 12:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:24 PM ----------

The reason that most processed meats smell bad is because of the degradation of the sulphites used as a preservative.
In the right conditions, sulphites (-SO3^-2) can undergo some interesting (to me) chemistry which form sulphur dioxide as a result (fart smell).
Turkey mean (processed) is the worst offender because of a number of factors - the amino acid effect being one.

Your answer is more accurate, but I contend that mine is more fun.

It's often packed in CO2, rather than nitrogen. This coupled with some funky chemistry leads to the bad smell.

I humbly concede that some times fun is more important than accurate :)

That's not the turkey, I farted.

I only do Boar's Head from the deli. I guess I'm a lunch meat snob. In closing, roast beef ftw.

I too don't buy the packaged meat from the "deli" aisle in the grocery store. It's cut off from the larger piece in front of me and when I make sandwiches on a regular basis I go to the deli counter on a regular basis. It's never more than 2-3 days old, and rarely is it turkey.

Boar's Head FTW!