846 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol..V, No. 18 
stated that if the temperature to which trichinous meat is exposed is 
sufficiently low and the length of exposure sufficiently long, the trichinae 
are killed just as certainly when large quantities of meat are frozen as when 
small quantities (not less than half a pound) are frozen, variations in the 
rate of freezing and thawing dependent upon variations in the quantity 
of meat frozen being immaterial. 
VARIATIONS IN EENGTH OF TIM 10 AFTER REMOVAL FROM FREEZER BEFORE 
EXAMINING AND TESTING MEATS 
In some cases examination of the trichinae from meat which had been 
frozen was made on the same day the meat was removed from the 
freezer or freezing mixture. When the meat was digested before exami¬ 
nation, it was in some instances placed in the digesting fluid the same 
day the meat was removed from the freezer, but generally one or more 
days up to a maximum of 12 days elapsed before the meat was digested 
and examined, and a corresponding period before the feeding of test 
animals was begun. 
Nearly all of the experiments were carried out in cold weather, and the 
meat after thawing, except when in transit to the laboratory, was kept 
in coolers or ice boxes until it was placed in a digesting fluid or fed to test 
animals, so that decomposition changes were slight. 
In the majority of instances the meat was placed in digesting fluid in 
preparation for examination and the feeding of rats begun within four 
days after removal from the freezer, but longer periods appeared to have 
no pronounced effect upon the results. Certainly the lapse of time did 
not favor the revival of the trichinae. For example, in experiments 77, 
80, 82, 84, and 86 the periods which elapsed between removal from the 
freezer (about o° for 15 days) and the digestion of the meat were 12, 8, 
8, 10, and 10 days, respectively; and between removal from the freezer 
and the first feedings of test animals, 13, 8, 8, 10, and 10 days, respec¬ 
tively, yet no trichinae were found alive on examination, and none of the 
test animals became infested. On the other hand, it did not seem that 
the lapse of time following removal from the freezer had much effect in 
reducing the vitality of surviving trichinae, though it is quite likely that 
the longer the period which elapses after trichinous meat is removed 
from the freezer the fewer the surviving trichinae will be, other things 
being equal. In experiments 126, 81, 83, 85, 87, and 78, the periods 
elapsing between removal from the freezer (about 15 0 , 17 to 23 days) 
and digestion of the meat were 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, and 9 days, respectively, and 
between removal from the freezer and the first feedings of test animals 
4, 6, 6, 1, 7, and 10 days, respectively. A high percentage of trichinae 
were found to be alive in each case. * In only one of the experiments in 
question (No. 126) did any of the test animals become infested, and this 
might be taken to indicate that the trichinae had suffered somewhat 
