Pork has received a fifteen degree drop in recommended cooking temperature which will leave the healthy main protein for many a medium cooking grade that many prefer anyway. New U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines confirm that 145 degrees Fahrenheit as measured on a food thermometer, followed by a three-minute rest time, is a safe final internal cooking temperature for pork.

Did you know that pork tenderloin is now as lean as the leanest type of chicken?

In 1987 the U.S. National Pork Board began an advertising campaign to position pork as “the other white meat” due to a public perception of chicken and turkey (white meat) as healthier than red meat. The campaign was highly successful and resulted in 87% of consumers identifying pork with the slogan. The board retired the slogan on March 4, 2011.

Pamela Johnson, Director of Consumer Communications for the For National Pork Board said:

“Our consumer research has consistently shown that Americans have a tendency to overcook common cuts of pork, resulting in a less-than-optimal eating experience. The new guidelines will help consumers enjoy pork at its most flavorful, juicy and safe temperature. As America’s pork producers improved feeding and breeding practices to deliver leaner pork, in tandem with industry-wide efforts covering food safety, it was time to revisit the long-standing consumer guidelines for preparation.”

The new recommendation reflects advances in both food safety and nutritional content of pork in recent years. On average, most common cuts of pork are 16%leaner than 20 years ago, and saturated fat has dropped 27%.

Pork is a good source of Protein, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Selenium, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B12, Phosphorus and Zinc. Pork is also low in sodium, but high in cholesterol.

Pork’s myoglobin content is lower than that of beef, but much higher than that of chicken. The USDA treats pork as a red meat. Pork with its fat trimmed is leaner than the meat of most domesticated animals.

Myoglobin forms pigments responsible for making meat red. The color that meat takes is partly determined by the oxidation states of the iron atom in myoglobin and the oxygen species attached to it.

Pork is one of the most widely eaten meats in the world, accounting for about 38% of meat production worldwide, although consumption varies widely from place to place.

According to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, nearly 100 million metric tons of pork was consumed worldwide in 2006 (preliminary data). Increasing urbanization and disposable income has led to a rapid rise in pork consumption in China, where 2006 consumption was 20% higher than in 2002, and a further 5% increase projected in 2007.

Source: Pork, Be Inspired Website

Written by Sy Kraft