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Microbial Level of Pork Skin as Affected by the Dressing Process¹

The Ohio State University, Columbus The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster

Abstract

Microbial spoilage poses many real problems to the meat industry. Decreased acceptability, resulting from changes in appearance and palatability, invites diminished. sales and further leads to reduced prices. Indirect losses are also incurred through the trimming of retail cuts, and, ultimately, through the reprocessing of fresh products to lower priced commodities. These losses must be absorbed by the retailer and reflect on the meat industry as a whole.

The factors influencing the spoilage of fresh meat have not been studied extensively. Studies of such factors encompass three general areas of examination: (1) dressing, (2) wholesale cutting and shipping and (3) retail cutting and shelf-life of products. This study is concerned with the first of these areas of investigation—those factors associated with the dressing operation.

Spoilage deep within those tissues derived from healthy animals is initiated by the sticking process (Jensen, 1954). However, a significant portion of the surface spoilage of cuts would appear to depend upon that originating at the carcass surfaces, subsequently being transferred to freshly cut surfaces by tools and hands.

¹ Approved as Journal Article No. 71-69 by the Associate Director of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster.

² The authors express appreciation to Dr. W. R. Harvey and Mr. C. T. Gaskins for their assistance in the statistical preparation of the experimental data.