Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-r5zm4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-16T19:10:07.121Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Internal bacterial taints (‘bone taint’ or ‘souring’) of cured pork legs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

M. Ingram
M. Ingram
Affiliation:
Low Temperature Station for Research in Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Cambridge, and Department of Scientific and Industrial Research
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. The kinds of bacteria found inside hams and bacon gammons are listed and discussed.

2. Taintinǵ of lightly-or un-injected hams is caused by a flora composed chiefly of various faecal Clostridia and/or faecal Streptococci, which are probably intrinsic to the animal's body. In bacon gammons which are heavily injected with brine, the characteristic flora consists of psychrophilic halophiles, mostly Micrococci, probably derived mainly from the brine; if injection is only partly effective, the intrinsic flora may develop also, faecal Streptococci being the type most likely to survive.

3. Within sound hams, bacteria are virtually absent; in tainting, the numbers may become enormous even before curing is finished. Injected gammons, on the contrary, generally contain bacteria in moderate numbers, but they multiply relatively slowly.

4. In hams, the taint is always confined within a group of muscles near the bone which are less acid, and initially less salty, than the outer muscles. In gammons, off-flavours caused by bacteria may occasionally develop in the outer layers as well.

5. A ham properly cured without injection, and internally ‘ sterile’, can be made to keep almost indefinitely. The bacteria injected into gammons slowly cause internal off-flavours even in cool storage. For long storage, it would seem wise to sterilize brine used for injection, and the addition of acid might be beneficial.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 50 , Issue 2 , June 1952 , pp. 165 - 181
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1952

References

REFERENCES

Baker, F., Nasr, H., Morrice, F. & Bruce, J. (1950). Bacterial breakdown of structural starches and starch products in the digestive tract of ruminant and non-ruminant animals. J. Path. Bact. 62, 617–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bate-Smith, E. C. (1948). Physiology and chemistry of rigor mortis, with special reference to the ageing of beef. Adv. Food Res. 1, 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyer, E. A. (1926). A contribution to the bacteriological study of ham souring. J. agric. Res. 33, 761–8.Google Scholar
Brooks, J., Haines, R. B., Moran, T. & Pace, J. (1940). The function of nitrate, nitrite and bacteria in the curing of bacon and hams. Spec. Rep. Food Invest. Bd, Lond., no. 49.Google Scholar
Buttiaux, R. (1951). L'Analyse bactériologique des jambons conservés en boîte. Paper XXXVI, IInd World Canning Congress.Google Scholar
Callow, E. H. (1936). The electrical resistance of muscular tissue and its relation to curing. Ann. Rep. Food Invest. Bd, Lond., pp. 75–81.Google Scholar
Callow, E. H. (1937). The ultimate pH of muscular tissue. Ann. Rep. Food Invest. Bd, Lond., pp. 49–51.Google Scholar
Dack, G. M., Niven, C. F. jun, Kirsner, J. B. & Marshall, H. (1949). Feeding tests on human volunteers with enterococci and tyramine. J. infect. Dis. 85, 131–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garrard, E. H. & Lochhead, A. G. (1939). A study of bacteria contaminating sides of Wiltshire bacon, with special consideration of their behaviour in concentrated salt solutions. Canad. J. Res. D, 17, 45–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibbons, N. E. & Rose, D. (1950). Effect of ante-mortem treatment of pigs on the quality of Wiltshire bacon. Canad. J. Res. F, 28, 438–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haines, R. B. (1937). Microbiology in the preservation of animal tissue. Spec. Rep. Food Invest. Bd, Lond., no. 45.Google Scholar
Haines, R. B. (1941). The isolation of anaerobes from tainted meat. Chem. & Ind. 60, 413–16.Google Scholar
Haines, R. B. & Scott, W. J. (1940). An anaerobic organism associated with bone-taint in beef. J. Hyg., Camb., 40, 154–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hankins, O. G., Sulzbacher, W. L., Kauffman, W. R. & Mayo, M. E. (1950). Factors affecting the keeping quality of bacon. Food Technol. 4, 33–8.Google Scholar
Hof, T. (1935). Bacterial growth in strong brines. Rec. Trav. bot. nérland. 32, 92–173.Google Scholar
Ingram, M. (1948). Fatigue musculaire, pH, et prolifération bactérienne, dans la viande. Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 75, 139–47.Google Scholar
Ingram, M. (1949a). Science in the imported meat industry. II. Hygiene and storage (Benjamin Ward Richardson Lecture). J. R. sanit. Inst. 69, 39–47.Google Scholar
Ingram, M. (1949b). Curing of bacon with acid brines. Food Manuf. 24, 201–4, 249–52.Google Scholar
Ingram, M. & Hauge, S. (1949). Bacteria in the flesh of Norwegian fin whales. Norsk Vet. Tidsskr. 60, 397–412.Google Scholar
Ingram, M. & Hawthorne, J. R. (1945). Electrometric estimation of chloride in meat products. J. Soc. Chem. Ind., Lond., 64, 196–200.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, L. B. (1944). Microbiological problems in the preservation of meats. Bact. Rev. 8, 161–87.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, L. B. (1945). Microbiology of Meat, 2nd ed.Champaign, Ill.: Garrard Press.Google Scholar
Jensen, L. B. & Hess, W. R. (1941). A study of ham souring. Food Res. 6, 273–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, L. B., Wood, I. H. & Jansen, C. E. (1934). Swelling in canned chopped hams. Industr. Engng Chem. 26, 1118–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jensen, M. (1951). Røgningens bakterienhaemmende virkning på bombagefremkaldende bakterier. Konserves, 4, 45.Google Scholar
Klein, E. (1908). On the nature and causes of taints in miscured hams. Lancet, 174, 1832–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Le Fevre, E. & Round, L. A. (1919). A preliminary report upon some halophilic bacteria. J. Bact. 4, 177–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McBryde, C. N. (1911). A bacteriological study of ham souring. Bull. U.S. Bur. Anim. Ind. no. 132.Google Scholar
Meyer, K. F. & Gunnison, J. B. (1929). European strains of Cl. botulinum. J. infect. Dis. 45, 96–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (U.K.) (1941, 1945). Home Curing of Bacon and Hams. Advisory Leaflet No. 173.Google Scholar
Moran, J. A. (1929). Present status of our knowledge of ham souring. Bull. Inst. Amer. Meat Packers, no. 4.Google Scholar
Mundt, J. O. & Kitchen, H. M. (1951). Taint in Southern country-style hams. Food Res. 16, 233–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Niven, C. F. junCastellani, A. G. & Allanson, V. (1949). A study of the lactic acid bacteria that cause surface discolorations of sausages. J. Bact. 58, 633–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ostrolenk, M., Kramer, N. & Cleverdon, R. C. (1947). Comparative studies of Enteroco¸cci and Escherichia coli as indices of pollution. J. Bact. 53, 197–203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oxhøj, P. (1943). Om kogsalts inflydelse paa vaeksten af visse anaerobe bakterier. K. VetHøjsk. Aarskr. pp. 1–46 (Copenhagen).Google Scholar
Pollock, M. R. (1946). Adaptation of ‘Nitratase’ in washed suspensions of bacteria. Brit. J. exp. Path. 27, 419–32.Google ScholarPubMed
Reith, A. F. (1926). Ham souring. J. Bact. 12, 367–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Savage, W. G. & Wood, D. R. (1917). The vitality and viability of streptococci in water. J. Hyg., Camb., 16, 227–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, F. B. (1938). An investigation of a taint in rib bones of bacon; the determination of halophilic vibrios (n.spp.). Proc. roy. Soc. Qd, 49, no. 3, 29–52.Google Scholar
Sulzbacher, W. L. & McLean, R. A. (1951). The bacterial flora of fresh pork sausage. Food Technol. 5, 7–8.Google Scholar
Tanner, F. W. & Ruyle, E. H. (1932). Penetration, of intestinal wall of rabbit by yeasts. Proc. Soc. exp. Biol., N.Y., 29, 1001–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tucker, W. H. (1929). Studies on Cl. putrificum and Cl. putrefaciens. Inst. Amer. Meat Packers, Chicago, Ill.Google Scholar
Ulrich, J. A. & Halvorson, H. O. (1951). Studies on sliced canned bacon. Adv. Food Res. 3, 291–325.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verhoeven, W. (1950). On a sporé-forming bacterium causing the swelling of cans containing cured ham. Ant. v. Leeuwenhoek J. Microbiol. & Serol. 16, 269–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watts, P. S. (1938). Observations on the bacterial flora of the intestine of normal sheep. Vet. J. 94, 60–74, 112–27.Google Scholar