28 BULLETIN 928, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



3. Combining the results of the tests on the quality of the beef 

 hams cured at the two establishments, the several lots of hams rank 

 as follows according to the kind of sugar used : First choice, cerelose, 

 65 points; second choice, dextrose, 61 points; third choice, granu- 

 lated sugar, 59 points; fourth choice, TO per cent corn sugar, 45 

 points; fifth choice, refiners' sirup, 35 points. These facts indicate 

 that dextrose and cerelose are at least equal in value to granulated 

 sugar for use in curing beef hams, but refiners' sirup yielded a 

 product of lower quality. 



GENERAL SUMMARY. 



1. The results of the experiments in curing pork hams indicate 

 that the several sugar substitutes employed, viz, dextrose, cerelose, 

 TO per cent corn sugar, and refiners' sirup, can be used successfully in 

 place of cane sugar in curing this class of meats. The difference in 

 the quality of the hams cured with the several sugars was slight. 



2. The results obtained in the curing of sweet-pickle bacon with 

 the sugar substitutes named, as compared with cane sugar, were 

 similar to those obtained with pork hams. There was comparatively 

 little difference in the quality of the bacon cured with the different 

 sugars. However, the bacon cured with the three corn sugars was 

 considered to be of slightly better quality than that cured with cane 

 sugar or refiners' sirup. 



3. The experiments with box-cured bacon yielded conflicting re- 

 sults. The tests on the quality of the bacon conducted by the de- 

 partment indicated that there was little difference in the quality of 

 the bacon cured with dextrose and cerelose as compared with that 

 cured with cane sugar. On the other hand, the tests conducted by 

 two of the establishments indicated that bacon cured with cane 

 sugar was of distinctly superior quality, chiefly because the bacon 

 cured with corn sugars browned too readily on frying. In view of 

 these conflicting opinions, further experiments in the use of corn 

 sugars in curing box-cured bacon are desirable. 



4. In the curing experiments with beef hams, the use of dextrose 

 and cerelose yielded dried beef of as good quality as that obtained 

 by the use of cane sugar. The beef hams cured with TO per cent 

 corn sugar and with refiners' sirup were of inferior qualitjr. 



5. The experiments reported in this paper must be regarded as of 

 a preliminary nature, and while the results indicate strongly that 

 several corn sugars, as well as refiners' sirup, can be used success- 

 fully as substitutes for cane sugar (sucrose) in curing meats, yet it 

 is highly advisable that meat-packing establishments contemplating 

 the use of one or more of these substitutes first conduct curing tests 

 on a moderate scale before curing large quantities of meat with the 

 sugar substitutes chosen. 



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