Foods, their selection and preparation

Standard requirements for grading pork cuts sold at retail have not been established by the government. The main reason for this is that pork when slaughtered is more uniform in age than the other meats, which means that it varies less in quality. Pork carcasses and cuts are graded, however, in the wholesale trade on a weight basis. An important difference in the procedure for handling pork, as compared with beef and the other meats, comes from the fact that most pork does not leave the packing plant in carcass form or in quarters. This means that many pork cuts sold at retail are the same as the wholesale cuts. U.S. Inspection Stamp. Under the Fed¬ eral Meat Inspection Act of 1906, all meats sold in interstate commerce must be in¬ spected for purity and safety by trained Federal inspectors. The law guarantees that the meat thus sold came from healthy ani¬ mals, was slaughtered and processed under United States Inspection Stamp • This stamp shows that the meat has been in¬ spected and passed as satisfac¬ tory for human consumption sanitary conditions, and was suitable in every way for use as food when it left the processing plant. Meats which pass Federal inspection stand¬ ards are marked with a round purple stamp which states that they are "inspected and passed.” The stamp also bears the code num¬ ber of the plant. The marking fluid used for this stamp is a vegetable coloring and is per¬ fectly harmless. It need not be cut off the meat. In some instances, the inspection stamp, in abbreviated form, is burned onto smoked meats. About three-fourths of all meat sold in the United States comes under Federal inspection. This service comes under the Meat Inspec¬ tion Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A large portion of the other fourth is slaughtered under inspection regula¬ tions set up by states and cities. The re¬ mainder is slaughtered on farms and in small communities where no inspection service is maintained. Aging of Meat. Aging or ripening — holding in storage at a temperature just above freezing — improves the quality of well-finished beef and lamb. Such meats be¬ come more tender and develop during aging a better flavor than they had when first slaughtered. In normal times, much beef and lamb is sold in retail markets within one to two weeks after slaughter. Restaurants and hotels, however, which cater to the highestclass trade usually age their beef for several weeks before cooking. During aging, the small amount of sugar in the muscles is changed to lactic acid by enzymes within the meat. The lactic acid then acts on the col¬ lagen, breaking some of it down to gelatin. This makes the meat more tender. Ultraviolet-ray lamps are used to some extent to speed the aging of meat. Exposing the meat to these rays retards the growth of bacteria and molds so that the meat can be stored safely at a higher temperature than it could be otherwise. Enzyme action, which tenders the meat, thus may be speeded con¬ siderably. To be aged successfully the meat must have a good fat covering to prevent evapora¬ tion and deterioration. Choice and Good grades can be aged. Aged meat commands a higher price because of the extra time and [177] handling necessary and the shrinkage in¬ volved. Fresh pork does not improve with aging, since the fat of pork has a tendency to become rancid. PRICE OF MEAT