Why do I have salmon sashimi and beef sashimi but don't eat pork sashimi?
Why do we have shabu beef and shabu lamb, but very little shabu pork?
The main reason is that undercooked pork does pose a risk of contracting the parasite.
Take one of the most common parasites in pork, the trichinosis (hereinafter referred to as trichinella), as an example. In 2019, trichinella surveys were carried out in 15 large, medium and small pig slaughterhouses in Guangdong, Shandong, Yunnan and other provinces, and the positive rate of trichinella antibodies in serum samples in the sampled areas was 1.97%.
Do you suddenly feel that the meat in the bowl is not fragrant?
Can I use my naked eye to identify whether there are parasites when buying meat?
Trichinella Spiralis, or Trichinella Spiralis for short, is a large group of familys of trichinellae. Trichinella is named like its worm, its infected larvae parasitize in the host rhabdomy muscle fibers, grow and curl on their own, and finally form a capsule, the diameter of the capsule is only about 0.3 mm, therefore, the trichinella must be observed with the help of a magnifying glass.
The trichinella is so small, do I need to be afraid of it?
For humans, trichinella larvae mainly invade the diaphragmatic muscles, tongue muscles, chewing muscles, gastrocnemius muscles and other parts with more activity and abundant blood supply. Within 1 week after infection (intestinal phase), gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, constipation, and anorexia may occur. Within 2-3 weeks (acute phase), high fever, chills, difficulty chewing and swallowing, dyspnea, etc., muscle aches throughout the body, especially the gastrocnemius muscles, chewing and swallowing difficulties, breathing difficulties, etc. Acute symptoms subside after about 4 weeks, but muscle pain can last for months. Severely infected people can die of myocarditis.
The meat is eaten in the stomach, how do the trichinella in the meat reach the rest of the body?
After a person or other host swallows an infectious sac, the trichinella larvae are decanted in the duodenum or jejunum, parasitize the host intestine, and develop into adults, mate, and lay eggs. Trichinella are cousins of roundworms and pinworms, and their reproductive ability is very strong.
Trichinella is oviparous, fertilized eggs develop into larvae directly in the female's womb, the larvae are discharged through the female's reproductive hole, quickly invade the small intestinal wall of the same host, and circulate with the blood to the organs, tissues and body cavities of the whole body, but only reach the host's rhabdomy muscles can continue to develop and grow.
The wildest growth of trichinella occurs in the muscles of the host. The larvae that reach the muscles double in size within 24 hours, begin to grow wildly by the fourth day, and can grow 270 times larger by 19 days! The damaged muscle fibers gradually degenerate to produce large amounts of collagen fibers that surround the larvae to form fusiform sacs.
Can you still eat pork well?
Of course! Studies have shown that high temperatures can achieve the effect of killing such parasites, and in addition, smoking, roasting and pickling can also kill trichinella larvae. However, the home production effect is unstable, there is still a large possibility of residual, and the industrialized standard procedure effect is more reliable.
If you burn meat at home, as long as you pay attention to the following points, you can basically avoid the risk of parasitic infection:
Raw and cooked foods are used separately using knives, cutting boards and containers.
Cook the meat thoroughly, avoid cooking methods such as "rice noodles over the bridge", "shabu pork", and "skewered white meat".
Do not eat wild game. Pigs are the main source of human trichinellosis on the mainland, but in fact, trichinella can attack all large species on land, including mammals, birds and reptiles, and are mostly nationally protected animals. Eating wild game may not only infect trichinella, but also break the law!
Funded by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission Science Popularization Project
Project number: 20DZ2312100
Contributed by: Dai Simin
Editor: Gu Tianmin
Reviewer: Jin Yanjun Feng Xiaogang