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Authors: Warren R. Anderson
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The common way to protect positively against trichinosis is to heat all meat (from susceptible animals) to a minimum internal temperature of 137° F (58.4° C) throughout. To be even safer, commercially produced “fully cooked” meats, such as hams and sausages, are usually heated to a minimum internal temperature of between 152° and 154° F (between 67° and 68° C). When we cook pork in the oven or in a frying pan, the internal temperature usually climbs even higher than this.
Another way to kill trichinae in pork is to freeze it according to USDA regulations. Any one of the following USDA approved freezing procedures will definitely kill all the trichinae in pork:
• -20° F (-28.9° C) for 12 days
• -10° F (-23.4° C) for 20 days
• 5° F (-15° C) for 30 days
You may freeze the pork in your home freezer if your freezer temperature is cold enough, but most home freezers will not get that cold. Another consideration is that there are specifications on the thickness and stacking of the meat. Finally, if it is done according to USDA regulations, the temperature of the freezer must be accurately measured and monitored.
It is easier and safer to ask your butcher if he or she can order some Certified Pork. Certified Pork has been frozen according to the USDA regulations, and it will not cause trichinosis even if it is eaten raw.
Chain grocery stores may not be able to provide you with Certified Pork unless it is on the list of items for which the butchers can make a special order. However, local meat distributors or meat packers might be able to supply it, especially if they supply local sausage makers. An independently owned grocery store or butcher shop is another possible source. The most commonly available cut of Certified Pork is pork shoulder (Boston butt), and it is usually sold by the carton; one carton contains several frozen shoulders. Be sure that it has some kind of tag, label, or stamp that reads CERTIFIED PORK.
There is only one case where Certified Pork, or the equivalent, must be used: when the finished, ready-to-eat product contains uncooked pork. Examples of this are some varieties of fermented sausages. For all other products, use a meat thermometer to make sure that the pork is fully cooked.
Note that in the above discussions of freezing meat to kill trichinae, I used the word pork. Strains of trichinae found in some wild animals (especially those that live in cold or arctic climates) may be more resistant to freezing temperatures than the strains found in the domesticated swine. It is risky, therefore, to use the USDA freezing method to kill trichinae in the meat of susceptible wild animals such as bear. Kill the trichinae by making sure that the meat is heated to at least 137° F (58.4° C) throughout. Better yet—heat it to 160° F (71.1° C).
If you intend to process bear meat, you may be interested in the results of a study by a Montana State University researcher. The study was conducted from 1984 through 1989, and it consisted of inspecting the meat from 275 bears. Bears infested with trichinae accounted for 15.6 percent of the total inspected. In another study, this time by the University of Washington, it was reported that trichinae in bear meat might survive the USDA freezing regulations applied to pork. Be safe: Cook meat from potentially infested wild animals; don’t depend on freezing to kill those insidious roundworm larvae.
You should never put raw or undercooked meat from susceptible animals in your mouth, even though you intend to just taste it and spit it out. Furthermore, always wash the cutting board and knives with hot water and dish detergent if they have been exposed to such meat.
Tularemia
Tularemia (also known as rabbit fever) is a disease of rodents. It is caused by a bacterium that can be transmitted to other animals and humans. If humans contract this disease, it is most often due to handling infected animals or eating the undercooked flesh of infected
The common way to protect positively against trichinosis is to heat all meat (from susceptible animals) to a minimum internal temperature of 137° F (58.4° C) throughout. To be even safer, commercially produced “fully cooked” meats, such as hams and sausages, are usually heated to a minimum internal temperature of between 152° and 154° F (between 67° and 68° C). When we cook pork in the oven or in a frying pan, the internal temperature usually climbs even higher than this.
Another way to kill trichinae in pork is to freeze it according to USDA regulations. Any one of the following USDA approved freezing procedures will definitely kill all the trichinae in pork:
• -20° F (-28.9° C) for 12 days
• -10° F (-23.4° C) for 20 days
• 5° F (-15° C) for 30 days
You may freeze the pork in your home freezer if your freezer temperature is cold enough, but most home freezers will not get that cold. Another consideration is that there are specifications on the thickness and stacking of the meat. Finally, if it is done according to USDA regulations, the temperature of the freezer must be accurately measured and monitored.
It is easier and safer to ask your butcher if he or she can order some Certified Pork. Certified Pork has been frozen according to the USDA regulations, and it will not cause trichinosis even if it is eaten raw.
Chain grocery stores may not be able to provide you with Certified Pork unless it is on the list of items for which the butchers can make a special order. However, local meat distributors or meat packers might be able to supply it, especially if they supply local sausage makers. An independently owned grocery store or butcher shop is another possible source. The most commonly available cut of Certified Pork is pork shoulder (Boston butt), and it is usually sold by the carton; one carton contains several frozen shoulders. Be sure that it has some kind of tag, label, or stamp that reads CERTIFIED PORK.
There is only one case where Certified Pork, or the equivalent, must be used: when the finished, ready-to-eat product contains uncooked pork. Examples of this are some varieties of fermented sausages. For all other products, use a meat thermometer to make sure that the pork is fully cooked.
Note that in the above discussions of freezing meat to kill trichinae, I used the word pork. Strains of trichinae found in some wild animals (especially those that live in cold or arctic climates) may be more resistant to freezing temperatures than the strains found in the domesticated swine. It is risky, therefore, to use the USDA freezing method to kill trichinae in the meat of susceptible wild animals such as bear. Kill the trichinae by making sure that the meat is heated to at least 137° F (58.4° C) throughout. Better yet—heat it to 160° F (71.1° C).
If you intend to process bear meat, you may be interested in the results of a study by a Montana State University researcher. The study was conducted from 1984 through 1989, and it consisted of inspecting the meat from 275 bears. Bears infested with trichinae accounted for 15.6 percent of the total inspected. In another study, this time by the University of Washington, it was reported that trichinae in bear meat might survive the USDA freezing regulations applied to pork. Be safe: Cook meat from potentially infested wild animals; don’t depend on freezing to kill those insidious roundworm larvae.
You should never put raw or undercooked meat from susceptible animals in your mouth, even though you intend to just taste it and spit it out. Furthermore, always wash the cutting board and knives with hot water and dish detergent if they have been exposed to such meat.
Tularemia
Tularemia (also known as rabbit fever) is a disease of rodents. It is caused by a bacterium that can be transmitted to other animals and humans. If humans contract this disease, it is most often due to handling infected animals or eating the undercooked flesh of infected
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