A bacteriological study of ham souringMcBryde, Charles Neil
Science
A bacteriological study of ham souring
McBryde, Charles Neil
Ham -- Microbiology
_Lot 2._—The hams in this lot were tested as they entered the
hanging floor with a thermometer which had been previously
cleaned and disinfected and then dipped in a culture suspension
of the meat-souring bacillus which was isolated from sour
hams. The thermometer was dipped in the culture suspension
before each ham was tested. No further temperatures were taken
of these hams. The thermometer was carefully cleaned and
disinfected before it was returned to the attendant from whom
it was borrowed.
_Lot 3._—The hams in this lot were not tested at all, and were
intended as checks on the cure.
The three lots of carcasses were carefully tagged and were chilled in a
special cooler to themselves. Upon leaving the cooler the hams were cut
from the carcasses and trimmed. The three lots of hams were then cured
in separate tierces. All of the hams were subjected to exactly the same
cure.
The pickles used were the regular pumping and regular curing pickles of
the establishment at which the experiment was carried out.
The hams in lot 3 were pumped first and those in lot 1 were pumped
next. The needle was then removed and a fresh, clean needle was used
for lot 2. This was done in order to prevent the possibility of
carrying over bacteria from one lot of hams to another on the pumping
needle. The tierces were thoroughly cleaned with boiling water before
being used. The curing was carried out in a pickling cellar which was
held at 33° to 36° F., the temperature never rising above the latter
figure. The tierces were rolled three times during the curing. The
details and results were as follows:
_Tierce 1._—Contained 20 hams, half of which were pumped in
both body and shank and half in the shank only. These hams were
taken from the carcasses in lot 1 and had been tested several
times with a ham thermometer, as already described.
Result: At the end of the cure it was found that of the 10 hams
which were pumped in the shank, 5 showed well-marked souring in
the body, while of the 10 hams which were pumped in both body
and shank, 2 showed slight souring in the body.
_Tierce 2._—Contained 20 hams, which were pumped in the same
manner as those in tierce 1. These hams were taken from the
carcasses in lot 2 and had been tested once with a thermometer
which was dipped in a culture suspension of the bacillus
isolated from sour hams.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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