P L A N T OPERATIONS-SLAVGHTERING, STORAGE, A N D BY-PRODUCTS R. C. NEWTOX AXD 31. 31. PISKURInnovations in the mechanical and physical phases of the meatpacking industry are a matter of keeping in step with the general progress displayed in all industries ; for instance, improved air-conditioning equipment has been designed for various packing-house uses; two of these are described by Gelliam (1936). Moulton (1936) described current methods f o r several packing-house operations. These papers dealt with killing and cutting the animals, processing the various parts of the viscera, and curing the meat.Callow (1936) found that the electrical resistance of muscular tissues of farm-killed pigs was loiTer than that of pigs slaughtered at a packing house. It was suggested that the difference was due to the effect of transportation and overheating during the drive t o the slaughtering site. Low electrical resistance in the meat was associated with low moisture loss and with greater salt permeability during curing. This author also substantiated a popular belief that fasting pigs before slaughter increases the thickness of the flank. Data on the above work and the effect of growth on the chemical composition of the tissues and the effect of growth rate on the quality of the carcass were presented both graphically and in tabulated form. It is interesting to note that fat content of the fatty tissue showed a well-marked increase with advancing age of animals and that the faster the rate at which fat was deposited in the fatty tissues the more saturated the fat became.Meat from boars and recently castrated boars (stags) gives off a very unpleasant odor during cooking or roasting. In the literature this is referred to as sexual odor; technicians at the packing plants usually refer t o the meat as being "staggy." Several German investigators studied this problem with the aim of devising a simple test to detect "stagginess" so that such meat can be identified and diverted t o processing rather than be marketed. Gerche (1936) reported thatsin castrates the parotid gland mas the most potent carrier of the odor. He recommended that a cooking or roasting test be made on this gland from carcasses which are suspected of carrying the odor. A negative test would be assurance that the carcass fat or meat 581
