Pork is the most consumed meat in the world and is a source of foodborne diseases. To develop effective food safety interventions for pork, it is crucial to understand the nature of the important pathogens affecting the pork industry, their prevalence at different phases of pork production, and interventions against pathogens in pork. The purpose of this study was to outline the significance of Salmonella, Campylobacter, Trichinella spiralis, Toxoplasma gondii, Listeria monocytogenes, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to the pork industry. Trichinella and Toxoplasma are historically relevant pathogens to pork and represent the effectiveness that preharvest intervention strategies can accomplish for the control of toxoplasmosis and trichinellosis. Salmonella and Campylobacter are common inhabitants of swine intestines causing a high prevalence of these pathogens on the farm as well as potential contamination during slaughter. However, both Salmonella and Campylobacter can be reduced through on-farm strategies, hygienic slaughter practices, and processing technologies. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus is an emerging pathogen with increasing focus on the livestock industry and interventions pre and postharvest have been considered for reduction of this microorganism. The greatest challenge for processors is L. monocytogenes as contamination of the further processing environment requires adequate interventions for both pork and the environment. Novel technologies such as use of bacteriophages, feed additives, and high-pressure processing are being explored as interventions against pathogens of pork. Overall, pork does contribute to foodborne diseases and various interventions are now being used against the different pathogens found in pork.

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The objective of this experiment was to determine if increasing lysine in the diets of immunologically castrated (IC) male pigs would affect further processed product characteristics when compared with physical castrates or entire males. Raw materials for this experiment were derived from a previous experiment evaluating carcass characteristics. Physical castrates, IC males, and entire males were assigned to 1 of 4 diet programs with increasing lysine in a step-down lysine inclusion program that culminated with the following concentrations in the late finishing diet: physical castrate with low lysine (0.7%), IC with low lysine (0.7%), IC with low/medium lysine (0.8%), IC with medium/high lysine (0.9%), IC with high lysine (1.0%), and entire with high lysine (1.0%). Bellies were injected with a cure solution to a target of 110% of original green weight, and weighed again to determine brine uptake. Hams were injected with same cure solution to a target of 130% of green weight. Cure solution was formulated for a finished product inclusion of 1.5% salt, 0.34% phosphate, 0.05% sodium erythorbate, 0.11% sugar, and 0.014% sodium nitrate. Physical castrates had thicker (3.77 cm) bellies (P<0.05) than all treatment groups, except IC males fed low/medium lysine (3.73 cm). Entire males (2.85 cm) had the thinnest (P<0.05) bellies of all treatment groups. There were no differences (P>0.05) in percentage brine uptake for cured bellies among IC males regardless of dietary lysine (range 9.93 to 10.67%). Cooked yield of cured bellies was not different (P>0.05) among physical castrates or IC males regardless of lysine inclusion. Cooked yield of cured bellies from entire males (95.12%) was less (P<0.05) than cooked yield for any other treatment group. Pumped weight differences of cured hams among treatment groups were similar to green weight differences, and there were no differences (P>0.05) among any treatment groups for pump uptake percentage. There were also no differences in cook loss percentages among any treatment group. Therefore, differences in cooked yield are a reflection of initial green weight. There were no differences (P>0.05) for protein fat-free values among any treatment groups. Therefore, it can be concluded, in this population of pigs, there were no differences in further processed product characteristics among physical castrates and IC males.