The pork Mr. Li bought in the dark environment

Yesterday afternoon, a reporter randomly interviewed nearly 10 citizens buying pork at the north gate of Jianxin Garden Market, and only one citizen said "I have seen raw pig head meat emitting blue light when cooked."

Dong Jishi believed that since it is currently unclear what exactly the fluorescence on the pork is, "whether it is artificial or contaminated with fluorescent bacteria, this kind of pork is not suitable for consumption because if the fluorescent whitening agent exceeds the standard, it will affect human health." Dong Jishi said.

Mr. Liu, who has been doing wholesale business in old Chen meat for 10 years at the Xiu Xin Yuan vegetable market, also claimed that he had never seen glowing pork before.

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"There was a bluish glow by the wall, hazy and eerie, which scared me into quickly turning on the lights. When the lights were on, I noticed only that piece of pork hanging there was glowing," Mr. Li told his wife. Upon re-turning off the lights, they discovered it was indeed that piece of pork emitting the blue light.

The pork continued to glow even after being washed multiple times.

In addition, an agricultural worker from the Tongzhou District Animal Inspection and Quarantine Institute stated that the fluorescent pork might very likely be due to pigs being fed excessive phosphorus-containing feed during the breeding process, leading to high levels of phosphorus in the pig's body. "It could also be that this piece of pork was infected with some type of fluorescent bacteria. If the pork comes into contact with these bacteria during cutting, the metabolic products of the bacteria will cause the pork to emit a blue fluorescence."

Yesterday, under dark conditions, part of the pork purchased by Mr. Li emitted a bluish light. Original photo taken by reporter Yin Yafei.

This series of articles written by Beijing News reporter Zhang Changsheng.

Yesterday, the reporter placed the piece of pork bought by Mr. Li in a dark environment, and indeed saw a patch of bluish light radiating from parts of the pork.

■ Expert Analysis

Citizens in multiple locations have purchased "fluorescent pork."

A certain Wang surname staff member from the Fengtai District industrial and commercial department stated that they have also noticed netizens frequently reporting purchases of fluorescent pork, but they have yet to understand the exact cause of the pork glowing, "It is rumored that some testing centers have inspected this type of pork, and the results say the meat has no issues."

City Officials Claim Pork Glows Blue at Night

Vendors Claim Meat Comes from Regular Slaughterhouses

"In all my life, I've never encountered pork that glows." The other day, Mr. Li holding a piece of pork said that around December 4th, he bought a piece of pork from the nearby Jianxin Garden Market. The meat weighed over two catties, cut into strips, and appeared normal. Since it was winter, he didn't immediately put the meat in the refrigerator.

The reporter noticed that the pork sold by these vendors all had inspection and quarantine stamps.

"Fluorescent Pork" Not Suitable for Consumption

Due to suspicions that the pork was coated with fluorescent agents, the reporter rinsed a part of the meat thoroughly with water, but even in the dark, the washed pork still emitted a blue light. Moreover, after placing the piece of pork under sunlight and then returning to the dark, the blue light emitted by the pork became brighter.

Staff members from the Tongzhou District Animal Inspection and Quarantine Institute indicated that the fluorescent pork was very likely due to pigs being fed excessive phosphorus-containing feed during the breeding process, or possibly being infected with fluorescent bacteria.

Beijing News: In a bright environment, a piece of pork emits a bluish light. Mr. Li, who lives near Dahanmen Shoe City, claimed that recently he bought a piece of fluorescent pork from the market, "I've already eaten half of it, worried about potential harm to my health." Regarding this, the meat vendor claimed the meat was all wholesaled from regular slaughterhouses, and the meat had inspection and quarantine stamps.

Mr. Li recalled that on the evening of December 7th, he moved the originally hung pork from the kitchen to the bedroom, "to prevent the cat from stealing it." Unexpectedly, at around 5:30 AM on the 8th, as Mr. Li prepared to get up, he was startled by the pork hanging in the living room.

The vendors selling pork at the Jianxin Garden Market were also surprised before discovering the glowing meat. He said, "I sell fresh meat wholesaled from the regular slaughterhouse at Dahangmen, and I've never heard of pork glowing." However, the vendor expressed willingness to replace the pork for Mr. Li for safety reasons.

According to media reports, the "fluorescent pork" discovered by Mr. Li is not an isolated case. As early as 2007, Mr. Liu from Dongcheng District found that the fresh pork he bought the previous noon emitted fluorescence. Since then, residents in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan, and Changsha have successively purchased fluorescent pork. In early November this year, Mr. Lu from Dasheng Temple Village in Nanjing's Tongzhou District also bought fluorescent pork at the Babridge retail market.

Yesterday, food hygiene expert Dong Jishi analyzed that the pork emitting fluorescence might very likely be due to unscrupulous individuals coating the lean part of the pork with fluorescent whitening agents, "this method makes the lean meat appear whiter, improving its appearance. Generally, washing with water does not easily remove the fluorescent whitening agent from the lean meat."

Industrial and Commercial Department Indicates Unclear Cause

Dong Jishi mentioned that if the possibility of "artificial enhancement" is ruled out, it can only be that the pork was infected with fluorescent bacteria, "in nature, natural fluorescence phenomena are not uncommon, such as mushrooms and bamboo shoots, which all exhibit natural fluorescence, all due to the effects of fluorescent bacteria."