SALT CURE AND DRYING‐TIME AND TEMPERATURE EFFECTS ON VIABILITY OF Trichinella spiralis IN DRY‐CURED HAMS

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Abstract
SUMMARY– An official USDA dry‐cure ham processing procedure was evaluated for efficacy in devitalizing trichinae. The procedure consisted basically of a 40‐day salt cure followed by 10 days of drying at 95° F or above. Within the cure period, marked loss of viability was noted only for trichinae in muscle with brine concentrations approaching 8%. The drying temperature was the critical factor in devitalizing trichinae. 28 days' cure followed by 6 days of drying at 98° F destroyed viability of all parasites regardless of brine concentration. Other effective drying time‐temperature combinations included: 125° F‐4 days; 70° F‐35 days and 40°F‐190 days.