EFFECTS OF VARIOUS FOOD-GRADE COATINGS ON MITE MORTALITY AND SENSORY QUALITY OF DRY CURED HAM

The ham mite, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, is the major target pest of dry cured ham. Ham mites infest a wide range of stored food products such as dried meats, dried eggs, nuts, cheese, pet foods and grains (Townsend, 2007). Mites are very small (1/2 mm long), feed on the surface of dry cured meat and follow the seam fat to the interior of the bone and interior of the hams. Mites cannot fly, but they can crawl around extensively and may be carried from one spot to another by humans and other insects. Heavily infested materials may have a sweet or minty odor and infested areas will have a powdery appearance from the buildup of dead mites and their coverings (Townsend, 2007). Methyl bromide has been used to fumigate dry cured ham plants and is the only known fumigant that is effective at eradiating ham mite infestations at this time (EPA, 2010). However, methyl bromide is classified as a Class 1 ozone depletion substance and will be phased out for all industries by 2015 (EPA, 2006). A survey of 34 dry cured ham plants indicated that 22 of plants surveyed used methyl bromide fumigation one to five times a year based on the severity of the infestation (Rentfrow, et al., 2008). This demonstrates that methyl bromide fumigation is important to the economic viability of the dry cure