Meat+Poultry - December 2016 - 40

E D U C AT I O N

Pork bellies served as
a tool for participants
to learn about injection,
as well as providing
bacon taste testing.

Univ., and a review
of the Oklahoma
pork industry by
Scott Carter, swine
nutritionist for the
Oklahoma Pork
Council followed.
After a live
hog evaluation
presentation including
the opportunity to
look at live animals,
participants had the
chance to evaluate
and choose a pig from
video after splitting
into groups. The
groups used their
newfound knowledge
provided from Pork
101 to look at the
shapes and weights of pigs and chose what they
thought would give them the best value.
A pre-harvest hog handling presentation
by OSU meat science faculty member, Justin
Crosswhite, stressed the importance of humane
handling. Carcass bruising and transport losses
due to death are serious consequences caused
by poor pre-harvest handling.
An orientation on safety in the meat
laboratory concluded the first day.

SLAUGHTER AND MAKIN' BACON

"It is a really
great venue
for discussion
and learning."
- GRETCHEN MAFI

Attendees observed the
complete process from
stunning to fabrication.

40

Day 2 presented attendees the chance to get a
hands-on feel for the initial fabrication of pork
products and what fabricators actually do on
the line to turn carcasses into saleable meat
products. This portion of the coursework gives
participants a better understanding of what goes
into production than any lecture or literature.
"Attendees always comment to us about
how valuable the hands-on sessions are to
them," Dr. Mafi says. "I'm still amazed at the
synergy which occurs when a participant
can stand next to an industry counterpart,
with their hands on some product and talking
about how to improve their respective facets
of the industry. It is a really great venue for
discussion and learning."
The learning began with the slaughter
of a pig in the FAPC facility. Participants
witnessed first-hand the pig coming through
the chute, being stunned and bled, de-haired

MEAT+ POULTRY | 12.16 | www.meatpoultry.com

and eviscerated. A resident USDA inspector
checked the organs after evisceration and
approved the carcass for use. Once the
carcass was split, meat science graduate
students began monitoring pH to ensure
quality. From there, attendees prepared and
dressed for fabrication.
An experienced FAPC staff member joined
each group for fabrication. They amazed
attendees with their dexterity and knowledge
of the carcasses as they sawed and cut with
precision. Once participants started hacking
into the carcasses, the expertise of the staff
became glaringly clear. The staff understood
and was supportive, assuring those not used
to the processes that this was a learning
experience and guided them through.
One side was bone-in and the other
boneless. The ham and tenderloin were
removed, shoulder split, ribs separated
from the belly, and everything was weighed
including the bone, fat and trim. Moderators
of the event and staff guided the groups
in assessments of their carcasses during
fabrication and pointed out ways in which
the meat was superior or inferior and ways
fabricators will maintain and enhance quality
throughout the fabrication process.
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Meat+Poultry - December 2016

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