bacon and ham processing (8)

bacon processing

fresh pork bellies are shipped to processing companies in large containers called “combo bins”

individual bellies undergo the following before being converted into sliced bacon for consumer:

• skinned

• trimmed of ragged edges

• pumped

• placed on bacon combs and put on tress or trucks for thermal processing

• thermal processing

• chilling

• pressing

• slicing- premium slices of number 1 slices, secondary slices, ends and pieces

• packaging

3 general ham processing systems

• traditional bone-in cured/smoked ham (holiday ham)

• boneless, premium ham (what we did in lab)

• boneless, sectioned or chopped and formed ham (lunch meats, SPAM)

tumbling

impact energy to extract protein

massaging

frictional energy to extract protein

traditional bone-in cured/smoked ham

• arrive at processing plant in combo bins in weight range categories

• trimmed off some collar fat and skin

• pumped

• netted

• placed on tree or truck

• thermal processed

• chilled

• wrapped w/paper

• boxed

boneless, premium ham

• hams are defatted and deseamed

• semimembranosus-adductor and biceps femoris-semitendinosus— are used

• muscles injected

• cured muscles undergo massaging or tumbling

• muscles better tg or placed in casings

• ham molds are placed on the product before thermal processing to give shape

• thermal processing

• chilling

• cutting in half and packaging

boneless, sectioned or chopped and formed

biceps femoris-semitendinosus muscles are chopped or sectioned into smaller pieces along w/muscles from the shank and the knuckle; tumbling and massaging used to cause pieces to stick tg

bacon curing #s

120 ppm in-going sodium nitrite or 148 ppm in-going potassium nitrite; 550 ppm ascorbates and erythrobates

dry cured bacon #s

200 ppm in-going sodium nitrite or 246 ppm in-going potassium nitrite

bacon maximum final weight

100% green weight

ham curing #s

200 ppm in-going nitrite; 550 ppm of ascorbates/erythorbates

ham maximum final weight

depends on PFF regulations

bacon thermal processing

target temp=124-126°F

hams thermal processing

must follow Appendix A of FSIS Directive for times and temp.

thermal processing is used to:

see the premium and section and formed hams (heat coagulable proteins)

completely cooked hams must be bw

158-162°F

smoking

combustion of moist sawdust (hardwood) or use of squid smoke for flavor, color, and bacteriostatic/bactericidal properties