SHRINKAGE OF SOFT PORK. 



Of the 800 hogs used in the tests, the live and dressed weights of 

 750 of them are shown in the tables included in this bulletin. The 

 carcasses of 50 hogs used in test No. 4 at East St. Louis were selected 

 in the cooler and, for that reason, the live and dressed weights could 

 not be obtained. 



The 750 live hogs weighed 130,830 pounds, or an average of 174 

 pounds per hog, and the average dressing yield was 68.44 per cent of 

 live weight. 



The hogs purchased on the East St. Louis market showed a differ- 

 ence in price of $3.10 to $3.40 per 100 pounds between oily and firm 

 hogs. On the Fort Worth market the difference was 2 cents per 

 pound. 



Total amounts of meats used at Fort Worth and East St. Louis and loss caused by curing, 



smoking, and retaining. 





Fresh 



chilled 



weight 



(pounds). 



Cooled 



smoked 



weight 



(pounds). 



Loss: Chilled 



weight through 



smoke. 



Weight 

 at end of 

 retaining 



period 

 (pounds). 



Loss: Smoked 



weight through 



retaining 



period. 



Total loss 

 chilled weight 

 through retain- 

 ing period. 





Pounds. 



Percent. 



Pounds. 



Percent. 



Pounds. 



Percent. 



Oily 



14,470 

 11,447 

 15,909 



13,741 

 10,764 

 15,263 



729 

 683 

 646 



2.30 

 5.97 

 4.06 



12,466 

 9,624 

 13,706 



1,275 

 1,140 

 1,557 



9.28 



2 004 



13.85 



Soft 



10.59 ' 1^823 

 10. 20 2 203 



15.92 



Firm 



13.85 











RESULTS.^ 



The results of these tests, considering the large number, and the 

 fact that they were conducted in two different packing houses, were 

 encouragingly uniform. The shrinkage of the different cuts of the 

 three grades of meat, however, varied in proportion to the size and 

 thickness of the wholesale cut. Throughout all of these tests, both at 

 Fort Worth and East St. Louis, there was a striking similarity in 

 shrinkage between the loss of oily and firm meat. The soft meat, 

 however, showed a heavier shrinkage than either the oily or firm. 



GAIN IN WEIGHT CAUSED BY PUMPING AND CURING. 



In the process of curing pork in the packing plants practically all 

 ""of the pickle-cured meat is pumped with a curing solution to insure 

 that it will reach the bones, and especially the joints. This, together 

 with the absorption of the curing liquid in which the meat is kept 

 from 30 to 60 days, increases the weight considerably. The pork 

 cuts cured by the dry salt method, however, lost weight, although 

 they had been pumped. 



' The total combined results of the tests conducted at Fort Worth and East St. Louis are given here. 

 For those who desire to make a more detailed study of the tests, a more complete report will be found in 

 the Appendix. 



