Six groups of hams were cured, tumbled, canned and cooked. Duplicate histological samples were removed from both the surface and deep muscles of fresh, cured and cooked hams, prepared and stained both with haematoxylin and trichrome staining solutions. Results indicated that tumbling significantly (P < 0.01) increased cell membrane disruption, and phosphate level had a significant (P < 0.01) quadratic effect on decreasing clarity of striation patterns. On a tumbling time constant basis, intermittent tumbling resulted in more alterations in cell structure than did continuous tumbling. Tumbling also had a significant (P < 0.01) effect on disorganizing nuclei as well as a significant (P < 0.05) effect on decreasing clarity of striation patterns of deep muscle samples.

Table l-Ham pickle formulation (15% pump)Union Carbide has designed an accessory for securing meat slices while tensile strength determinations are being made using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. When compared to pneumatic jaws, the sliceholding accessory (SHA) gave smaller standard deviations, handled larger sample sizes, weakened the sample less and could be used to evaluate a wider range of products. The SHA was successfully used to demonstrate the positive effects of salt, phosphate, and dry skim milk on the binding characteristics of processed meats. In addition, it illustrated the effect of sample storage temperature and slice thickness on tensile strength (g/cm') of selected meat items. Recommendations are discussed for determining, reporting, and comparing tensile strength values on processed meats.

Commercially available hams (7.69-9 kg) were open face boned, closely trimmed of fat and then stitch pumped with various levels of pickle to determine the efficacy of pump level, massage cycle, or temperature of the ham during massaging on cook shrink, USDA yield, bind, and cured color intensity and uniformity. On a constant time basis, continuous massaging appeared superior to intermittent massaging and shorter rest periods were superior to longer rest periods where intermittent massaging was used. High pump levels (30, 35%) gave correspondingly higher cook shrink losses and lower bind values (adhesion) than low pump levels. But the 35% pump level gave the best combination of cured color intensity, uniformity and yield yet still provided sufficeiut bind for slice durabllity. Ideal environmental massaging temperatures appeared to be between 4.4'C and 10°C for maximizing cured color development and yield. Bind was reduced at 1O'C; however, no problem in slice durability was experienced.

Boneless closely trimmed hams were randomly assigned to six treatment groups to determine the effect of massaging time (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 hr) on selected ham characteristics. All hams were stitch pumped 30% above green boneless weight with a pickle containing water, salt, sugar, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite. Pickled hams were massaged continuously (30 mm forward-30 mm reverse cycle) at 5 rpm in a 4'C cooler. Hams were stuffed into size 7 fibrous casings and processed in a smokehouse to an internal temperature of 67'C. Results showed that a massaging time increased there were significant (P < 0.01) increases in bind, color uniformity, color intensity, and moisture retention.pickle containing water, salt, sugar, sodium tripolyphosphate (Curafos), sodium erythorbate (Merck), and sodium nitrate (Table I). A five needle Griffith injector pump and scale were employed to stitch pump the hams. Boneless pickled hams were then continuously massaged in a custom made Knud-Simonsen Industries Ltd. (KSI) massager (50 kg) for 30 min forward-30min reverse at 5 rpm in a 4°C cooler for 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 hr, respectively. A zero hr control was not evaluated because in practice this would require a cover pickle which was not consistent with the design of the experiment. StuffingINTRODUCI'ION IN RECENT YEARS it has become increasingly popular to prepare hams by massaging or tumbling techniques. Massaging involves frictional energy caused by muscle tissue rubbing other muscles, paddles, or the metal drum. Tumbling in addition to frictional energy involves impact energy incurred as free-falling meat strikes other tissue, baffles, or the drum. Both processes employ mechanical agitation which aids in the rapid diffusion of pickle (Weiss, 1974; Krause et al., 1978), promotes the formation of a protein exudate which enhances muscle cohesion (Fukazawa et al., 1961a, b; Mass, 1963), makes the muscle more pliable, produces fewer voids, provides more efficient retention of pickle, and improves yield (Torr, 1965 ; Hansen et al., 1966). Hamm (1974) showed the synergistic effect of salt and phosphate on protein extraction and yield improvement. Maesso et al., (1970) determined that salt, phosphate and vacuumizing reduced cook shrink in poultry products while Woolen (1971) noted that vacuumizing removed the air bubbles from the protein exudate and improved muscle cohesion.Massaged hams were stuffed approximately 24 hr following pumping into size 7 easy peel, heavy prestuck, fibrous casing (Union Carbide) via a Smeco (Smeco Industries) press with a 95.25 mm (3-3/4 in.) internal diameter horn. Hams were pressure packed to a recommended diameter of 111 f 1 mm using a Tipper Press Tie (Tipper Tie Division, the Dover Corp.) with 2327 mm Hg (45 psi) pull up pressure. Thermal processingAll hams were cooked in a one cage house (Drying Systems Co). Hams were smoked initially for 7 min using a Kartridg Pak (The Kartridg Pak Co.) smoke generator at 400°C and a sawdust feed setting of seven. Dry bulb tempe...