Pork harvest plant survey to determine possible points of variety meat contamination

The objective of optimizing value throughout the pork chain is enhanced by improving the value of export products that have little value to domestic consumers. Pork offal products, specifically variety meats, are products of normal consumption for many cultures around the world. With pork being the number one global protein source, a large percentage of that volume comes in the form of products that are non-traditional to American consumers. Further enhancement of pork value can be achieved if these items should be capitalized on in the export market with improved food safety and enhanced shelf-life. The export of meat products today are currently achieved through temperature control by shipment of frozen variety meats to international destinations. However, the initial contamination and microbial load plays a tremendous role in product shelflife and safety. The current project addresses the research needs to identify specific methods of organ meat contamination and possible best management practices to avoid such. Specifically, this project attempted to determine the opportunities during the harvest chain for potential product contamination and determine enhanced practices that might minimize that possible contamination.