According to some older generations, being able to eat pork was considered a special treat when they were young. However, with the improvement of living standards, pork has entered the era of mass production. The frequent occurrence of pork-related incidents has made people wary of eating pork. Today, I will introduce how to identify problem pork.
Differentiating problem pork by color
Healthy pork meat is usually red or light red in color, with a bright shine and no blemishes on the surface. Diseased or dead pork meat appears red or purple in color, without shine, and often has purple bleeding spots on the surface. When observing the fat of pork meat, fresh pork fat is white or milky white in color, with a shine. However, fat from diseased or dead pork meat may have abnormal colors such as red, yellow, or green.
Differentiating problem pork by smell
The smell of fresh pork meat is normal and fresh, while poor-quality meat caused by feed may have odors of wastewater or medicine. Pork meat affected by pathology may have an odor of oil, feces, or rot.
Differentiating problem pork by touch
When pressing the skin with your fingers, fresh pork meat should have a tight and elastic texture, and any indentation from pressing should immediately recover. Spoiled pork meat, on the other hand, will have varying degrees of decomposition, causing the tissue to lose its original elasticity. Indentations from pressing will not recover and there may even be dark red blood oozing out.
Differentiating problem pork by boiling in a pot
In addition to sensory detection, you can also boil the pork in a pot. Spoiled pork meat will release a lot of moisture during boiling, lacking the fragrant smell of pork and the thin layer of fat in the soup. When biting the meat, it will be hard and have coarse muscle fibers.
What are the types of problem pork?
Cysticercosis-infected pork
Cysticercosis-infected pork refers to pork that is infected with cysticercosis, which poses a great health risk to humans and should not be consumed. The cysticerci mainly parasitize in lean meat, with the loin being the most common site. When cutting the meat, if you find water bubble-like cysts the size of pomegranate seeds attached to the muscle, it is cysticercosis.
Water-injected pork
Water-injected pork contains a large amount of water that has been injected into the meat, making it often contain pathogenic substances. Injected water will increase the weight of the pork, making it difficult to store and prone to spoilage and deterioration. Water-injected pork appears wet and shiny, with a lighter color, no stickiness, and poor elasticity.
Dead pork
For pig farmers, handling dead pigs is a very troublesome task that requires proper disposal. The disposal process is tedious, the government subsidies are minimal, and unscrupulous pig dealers may buy these dead pigs and sell them to the pork market or use them to produce ham sausages and ground meat for food companies and seasoning manufacturers.
