Looks fabulous Ray! Hey ol' pard, are you "deep-freezing" the meat to FSIS specs? I'm just being the
Sausage Safety Sheriff 'round these parts! Making sure everyone stays healthy.
Everyone needs to remember that simple freezing does NOT destroy
trichinella spiralis.
In North America, there are five known species of
Trichinella. They are
Trichinella spiralis, T. nativa, T. pseudospiralis, Trichinella T-5, and Trichinella T-6. The one we deal with most often in pork is
trichinella spiralis. The other four occur mostly in
game animals. Species T-5 is found mostly in bears and other wildlife in the eastern United States, while species T-6 is mostly in bears and other wildlife in the Northwestern United States. Species T. nativa is found in Alaska. Both T. nativa and Trichinella T-6 are resistant to freezing. Trichinella
pseudospiralis has been reported infrequently from birds, but
can infect pigs also.
You would be surprised at just how many people believe that simple freezing will destroy
trichinella spiralis. Actually, the majority of people believe it, and that frightens me. I often think of the folks who shoot javelinas and think simply freezing the carcass will take care of
trichinella spiralis. It absolutely will not! In fact, The Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, at Massachusetts General Hospital has concluded that "Smoking, salting, or drying meat are not reliable methods of killing the organism that causes this infection". Further, "Only freezing at subzero temperatures (Fahrenheit) for 3 to 4 weeks will kill the organism". If folks ever gazed into a microscope and saw the round
nematode worm embedded far into human muscle tissue, they would surely think twice about proper
sub-zero temperatures. The first time I saw the living microorganism beneath the microscope, I thought I'd lose my lunch! The thing that alarms me is that most people do not have the means of freezing meat at these cryogenic temperatures - so, they take the chance. Yet, if the pork has come from a reliable grocer rather than an "independent small farmer", you will be pretty much safe. If you are dealing with the "wild" boar pig, please... please... follow the FSIS rules for "sub-zero" curing. Go to this link and scroll down:
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4808
Here is the ugly truth:
Trichinella cysts break open in the intestines and grow into adult roundworms whenever a person eats meat from an infected animal. These roundworms produce other worms that move through the stomach wall and into the bloodstream. From here, the organisms tend to invade muscle tissues, including the heart and diaphragm, lungs and brain. At this point, trichinosis becomes most painful. There are an estimated 11 million people world-wide affected by trichinellosis and an estimated 10,000 new cases occur each year.
But we can get rid of the infection right?
Wrong! The medications
Mebendazole or
albendazole may be used to treat infections in the intestines, although once the larvae have invaded the muscles, there is no specific treatment for
trichinosis and the cysts remain viable for years. This is the reason I am so adamant about climbing on everyone's case! I'm a real pain in the butt and I've actually found that folks don't want to hear the truth. If they don't hear it, then will probably go away eh? I would just feel terrible if I didn't warn folks about this disease. Please, please, please... everyone - Read the FSIS specifications and drop the temperature to well below zero for the prescribed time period if you are making raw, fermented sausage. On the other hand,
trichinella spiralis can also be destroyed by heat in proper cooking procedures.
Although the FSIS has done much to eradicate the disease by enforcing modified laws, especially after the mid 1970`s, there yet remain about 40 cases of
trichinosis each year in the U.S. alone. Complications of the disease include encephalitis, heart arrhythmias, myocarditis, (inflammation), and complete heart failure. Pneumonia is also a common complication.
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon