The pork (part in the pen) emits a faint blue fluorescence in total darkness. Photo by reporter Yuan Liyang. According to the news on Now Network, news report by reporter Li Haifu and intern Yu Yang: The blue fluorescence emitted from the pork at night gave Zhang Xiaoyong, 56 years old from Qingshan District, quite a scare. Experts explained that it might be due to the phosphorus content in the meat and advised against consuming it.
Grandpa Zhang lives near the No.1 Construction Road Primary School in Qianshan District and works as a sanitation worker. After hearing about the glowing pork, many neighbors came over to take a look.
Last night, at Grandpa Zhang's residence, a piece of pork weighing over two jin (approximately 1 kg) was hanging on an iron wire inside the house.
This piece of pork was from the front leg of the pig and looked no different from other pieces of pork. However, after turning off the lights, two areas on the pork emitted a faint blue fluorescence, with light spots about the size of green beans, clearly visible to the naked eye.
Grandpa Zhang said that on the 19th, a relative living on Construction Second Road bought him three jin of pork from the market. That evening, he stir-fried half a jin and ate it, noticing nothing unusual. In the wee hours of the morning the day before yesterday, he woke up and noticed two spots of blue light in the air in his room, which startled him. After turning on the lights, he realized it was the position where the pork was hanging.
Grandpa Zhang couldn't make sense of it; having lived for over 50 years, it was the first time he had seen pork glow. Thinking about the half jin he had already eaten, he felt a bit uneasy.
Searching online for "glowing pork," he found that it had been reported multiple times in other places.
Experts have several hypotheses: Phosphorus-containing substances can emit light and have good water absorption properties. If unscrupulous sellers inject water into pigs by feeding them feed rich in phosphorus, phosphorus-containing substances may remain in the pork causing it to glow. It is also possible that the pork has developed phosphorescent bacteria or some other reasons.
Phosphorescent bacteria itself is non-toxic and eating it would not harm the human body. However, because the exact cause is difficult to determine, experts advise citizens not to consume it if they encounter such pork.