EFFECTS OF PORK-CURING PROCESSES ON TRICHINA. 29 
Expervment 257 —Three rats fed at the laboratory of Establish- 
ment 2A became infected. Four rats fed at the Washington labora- 
tory escaped infection. A microscopic examination of decapsuled 
larvee obtained by artificial digestion of a few grams of meat from 
these products after shipment to Washington revealed definite 
degenerative changes. ‘These pieces of capicola were cured for a 
period of 23 days and dried for 7 days. The period involved in the 
transfer of the products and delay before washing out the salt was 
6 days, making in the case of the pieces examined at the Washing- 
ton laboratory a total of 36 days of salt action, excluding the 45-hour 
smoking period. 
Expervment 258.—Three rats fed at Establishment 2A became 
infected. Four rats fed in Washington developed heavy infections. 
The products were cured for 27 days. The drying period in this 
case was 4 days, and only 2 days elapsed between the end of the dry- 
ing process and the first feeding at the Washington laboratory, 
making a total of 33 days, excluding the 35 hours of smoking. 
Experiment 259.—Three rats fed at Establishment 2A became 
infected. Four rats fed in Washington developed mild infections. 
Four days were involved in the transfer of the products to Wash- 
ton, which, added to the curing and drying periods, gives a total 
of 35 days, excluding the 35 hours of smoking. 
Expervment 260.—The rats fed at Establishment 2A became in- 
fected. Four rats fed in Washington escaped infection. The differ- 
ence in time of feeding was 4 days, which, added to the drying and 
curing periods, gives a total of 40 days of salt action in the case of 
the pieces examined in Washington. 
These results indicate that a combined curing and drying period 
of 35 days or less plus the smoking period is inadequate to destroy 
trichine in these products. The results also indicate, however, 
that somewhat longer periods are adequate, as shown not only by 
the experiments at Establishment 3 in which the combined periods 
of curing and drying ranged from 41 to 48 days, but also by Experi- 
ments 261 to 272 at Establishment 2A in which the total period of 
curing and drying, excluding smoking, was between 40 and 45 days. 
The specifications for the preparation of this product require 25 days 
of curing at a temperature not lower than 36° F., 30 hours of smoking 
at a temperature not lower than 80° F., and 20 days of drying at a 
temperature not lower than 45° F. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH COPPA. 
The following experiments with products known as coppa, which 
are similar in all respects to capicola except that smoking is omitted, 
were conducted at Establishments 2A and 3, as shown in Table 
18, Inasmuch as smoking is omitted the experiments were planned 
