On many fresh e-commerce platforms, the prices of such steaks are often very "affordable", with over 100 yuan being enough to buy 10 slices, as well as a free butter dressing package. However, the steak with such a low price is likely a reconstituted steak (i.e. synthetic steak) made from ground beef and ingredients under equal pressure. So, can this steak be eaten? If you can eat it, can you eat it medium rare or medium rare like in a Western restaurant? Professor Cheng Jingmin, a national health science popularization expert, registered nutritionist of the Chinese Nutrition Society, and doctoral supervisor of Shanxi Medical University, introduced in an interview with China Consumer News that commercial steaks can be divided into two types based on different processing methods: "original cut steaks" and "reconstituted steaks". Original cut beef refers to a whole piece of beef that is directly cut from a cow and packaged without any pre-treatment. Reconstituted steak, also known as spliced steak or synthetic steak, is a type of steak that uses certain technical means to recombine and process non whole pieces of beef. From a classification perspective, the original cut steak belongs to fresh meat, while the reconstituted steak needs to be pre marinated and belongs to the category of seasoned meat products. During the processing of reconstituted steak, some food additives such as carrageenan and xanthan gum are needed. Carrageenan is a good food grade thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier extracted from natural plants such as marine red algae. According to relevant regulations, carrageenan cannot be used in fresh meat, but can be used in the production and processing of seasoned meat products. Carrageenan does not pose a food safety risk as long as it is used within the limit specified in the standard. Although the price of steak "recombined" with carrageenan is lower, it does not mean it is equivalent to inferior meat. Cheng Jingmin introduced that the recombination technology of meat has been in use since the 1960s, because the production of minced meat is inevitable during the slaughter, segmentation, and processing process. By utilizing recombination technology to recombine, reshape, and freeze minced meat, not only can the utilization rate of minced meat be improved, but also the variety of meat products can be enriched. However, the way reconstituted steak is eaten is still different from the original cut steak. Usually, the total number of bacteria inside the original cut steak is not high, and it is not necessary to heat it until it is fully cooked. It can be consumed when it is five to eight times cooked. Reconstituted steaks, due to being pre marinated or composed of minced and small pieces of meat, are prone to bacterial growth inside, which may lead to a higher total bacterial count in the product. Therefore, they should be cooked until fully cooked before consumption. If you eat "medium rare" and "medium rare" like the original cut steak, there may be a greater risk. Formally produced reconstituted steak can be consumed with confidence, but after all, reconstituted meat is different from original cut meat. "Cheng Jingmin said that when consumers choose steak, they can distinguish between original cut steak and reconstituted steak through the ingredient list. The label of the original cut steak only includes "beef", but if there is an ingredient list in the label and other excipients and food additives appear, it is a reconstituted steak. (New News Agency)