title: Developing food-grade coatings for dry-cured hams to protect against ham mite infestation.
abstract: Dry-cured hams may become infested with ham mites, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, during the aging process. Methyl bromide is the only known available fumigant pesticide that is effective at controlling ham mite infestations in dry cured ham plants. However, methyl bromide will be phased out of all industries as early as 2015 due to its status as an ozone-depleting substance. Research was conducted to develop and evaluate the potential of using food-grade film coatings to control mite infestations, without affecting the aging process and sensory properties of the dry-cured hams. Cubes coated with xanthan gum+20% propylene glycol and carrageenan/propylene glycol alginate+10% propylene glycol were effective at controlling mite infestations under laboratory conditions. Water vapor permeability was measured to estimate the impact of coatings during the aging process. It was evident that carrageenan/propylene glycol alginate coatings were permeable to moisture, which potentially makes them usable during aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbar
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, United States.
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Hawkins, Inc., Birmingham, AL, United States.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States. Electronic address: schilling@foodscience.msstate.edu.
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Schilling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018857:Food Packaging; D005520:Food Preservatives; D057141:Food, Preserved / Q000469:parasitology*; D008460:Meat / Q000469:parasitology*; D008925:Mites; D010571:Pest Control / Q000379:methods*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D005520:Food Preservatives
keywords: Dry-cured ham; Food grade coating; Ham mite