4 BULLETIN" 928, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 



GENERAL PLAN. 



Four series of experiments were carried out, one each with hams, 

 sweet-pickle bacon, dry-cure bacon, and beef hams. These experi- 

 ments were carried on in one small but modern meat-packing estab- 

 lishment and in three large establishments, which will be designated 

 as X, A, B, and C, respectively. The general plan of the experi- 

 ments was the same for each establishment. At each plant the work 

 was conducted as nearly as possible in the same manner as was regu- 

 larly followed in curing the several kinds of meat under investiga- 

 tion. In each experiment one package of meat was cured according 

 to the regular practice in the establishment, while to each of the 

 other packages an equivalent amount of each of the sugars under 

 investigation was added in place of the sugar regularly used. In 

 other respects all the packages at one establishment were handled in 

 exactly the same manner. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH PORK HAMS. 



These experiments were carried on at each of the four establish- 

 ments, but the one conducted at establishment X was of a prelimi- 

 naiy nature and not so extensive as those carried on at the other 

 plants. 



PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENT AT ESTABLISHMENT X. 



Three tierces of hams were cured at establishment X — one without 

 sugar, one with granulated sugar, and one with cerelose. The chilled 

 hams were packed in tierces, as follows : Tierce 1, a mixture of 8£ 

 pounds of salt and 7 ounces of sodium nitrate was sprinkled over 

 the faces of the hams as packed ; tierce 2, the same quantities of salt 

 and sodium nitrate, and in addition ty pounds of granulated sugar 

 were sprinkled over the faces of the hams in the same way; tierce 

 3 was packed in similar manner except that a like quantity of cere- 

 lose was substituted for the granulated sugar. The- tierces were held 

 48 hours in a curing cellar at 35°-37° F. and were then headed, filled 

 with 80° plain brine and held at the temperature stated until cured. 

 The tierces were rolled on the fifth, fifteenth, and thirtieth days after 

 packing. The cured hams were weighed, inspected for soundness, 

 soaked *l\ hours in water to remove excess salt, and smoked 11^ hours. 

 Two smoked hams from each tierce were selected for test purposes. 

 A brief record of the experiment appears in Table 2. 



