Fig. 2.—Cross section through body of ham to show method of sampling for chemical analysis. A, slice below bone; B, bone slice; C, slice above bone; D, fat slice.
As all of the hams examined were mild-cure hams, that is, had been pumped in the shank only, the pickling fluids in order to reach the bodies of these hams had to penetrate chiefly from the skinned surface of the ham, as little if any penetration takes place through the thick skin of the ham.
The analyses[3] shown in the following tables therefore indicate the degree of penetration of the pickling fluids.
[3] These analyses were made by Mr. R. R. Henley, of the Biochemic Division, Bureau of Animal Industry.
Analyses of sour hams.
| No. | Description. | Slice. | NaCl. | KNO₃. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per cent. | Per cent. | |||
| 1 | Sour body | A | 6.18 | 0.175 |
| B | 4.83 | .224 | ||
| C | 3.65 | .299 | ||
| D | 1.03 | .074 | ||
| 2 | do | A | 5.34 | .174 |
| B | 3.70 | .150 | ||
| C | 2.79 | .174 | ||
| D | 1.12 | .012 | ||
| 3 | do | A | 5.04 | .125 |
| B | 4.08 | .149 | ||
| C | 2.72 | .099 | ||
| D | 1.19 | .048 | ||
| 4 | do | A | 7.78 | .250 |
| B | 5.31 | .100 | ||
| C | 4.76 | .200 | ||
| D | 1.96 | .048 |
Analyses of sound hams.
| No. | Description. | Slice. | NaCl. | KNO₃. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per cent. | Per cent. | |||
| 1 | Sound | A | 5.80 | 0.211 |
| B | 4.83 | .188 | ||
| C | 3.86 | .221 | ||
| D | 1.33 | .063 | ||
| 2 | do | A | 4.94 | .197 |
| B | 4.08 | .149 | ||
| C | 3.05 | .223 | ||
| D | 1.56 | .059 | ||
| 3 | do | A | 5.92 | .173 |
| B | 4.29 | .099 | ||
| C | 4.12 | .139 | ||
| D | 2.32 | .049 | ||
| 4 | do | A | 5.53 | .119 |
| B | 4.89 | .079 | ||
| C | 4.32 | .099 | ||
| D | 2.19 | .041 |
Taking an average of the four slices in each ham so as to get an average for the entire ham, and comparing the sour hams with the sound hams, we have the following comparison: