Steve, that`s a great question. The answer is yes, it is safe to eat as far as pathogenic bacteria "curing" is concerned. However, there are other "spoilage bacteria" issues. Eventually, other microorganisms will begin to compromise and degrade the meat. However, even though a spoilage bacterium may make you sick, it will rarely kill you.
Think of the "hurdles" as they are called. The first thing we must consider in pork sausage is any possibility of
Trichinella Spiralis in the meat. This is a parasitic roundworm whose larval form may be present in the flesh of pork or wild game and its painful infection is known as trichinosis. It is not a bacteria and it`s not a mold with toxic spores. Nor is it a fungi. It`s a microscopic danged worm that is miserable when it penetrates the gut and gets into muscle. The medications
mebendazole or
albendazole may be used to treat infections in the intestines, although once the larvae have invaded the muscles, there is no specific treatment for trichinosis and the cysts remain viable for years. How do we protect ourselves from infection of trichinae? By cooking the meat to a safe temperature. Trichinella Spiralis in meat is destroyed at 137°F. Steve, if you don`t know much about the infection or how to destroy the organism, please click on this link
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4808 and read my article about Trichinella Spiralis.
One more thing about this nasty worm. Remember, once the larvae have invaded the muscles, there is no specific treatment for trichinosis, and the cysts remain viable for years. Now, why would anyone take a chance by "fudging" on the rules. Here`s my point...You would be surprised at just how many people believe that simple freezing will destroy trichinella spiralis. Actually, the majority of people believe it, and that frightens me. I often think of the folks who shoot wild pigs or javelinas and think simply freezing the carcass will take care of trichinella spiralis. It absolutely will not! In fact, The Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, at Massachusetts General Hospital has concluded that "Smoking, salting, or drying meat are not reliable methods of killing the organism that causes this infection". Further, "Only freezing at subzero temperatures (Fahrenheit) for 3 to 4 weeks will kill the organism". If folks ever gazed into a microscope and saw the round nematode worm embedded far into human muscle tissue, they would surely think twice about proper sub-zero temperatures. However, most people do not have the means of freezing meat at these cryogenic temperatures - thus, they take the chance.
The next "hurdle" deals with the killer bacterium called Clostridium Botulinum. It is a pathogenic bacterium and although it is relatively uncommon, it is deadly. Sodium nitrite is a salt and an anti-oxidant used to cure meats, serving a vital public health function as it blocks the growth of Clostridium Botulinum and helps to prevent spoilage. Nitrite also gives cured meats their characteristic color and flavor. In addition, USDA sponsored research indicates that nitrite can help prevent the growth of Listeria monocytogenes, an environmental bacterium that can cause illness in some at-risk populations. In cured-smoked-cooked sausage, the addition of sodium nitrite acts immediately and cures meat in a very short period of time. However, in air-dried sausages, sodium nitrite`s chemical cousin (sodium nitrate) is used as it breaks down over a period of time into "nitrite" and finally nitric oxide - the actual curing agent.
Another way to destroy the bacteria it is to dry up its source of available water. (Aw) When a sausage is dried to Aw 0.85 or lower, it is considered safe to eat although the meat may not have even been cooked. Now, you are probably wondering how we make salami from raw, uncooked pork without the threat of Trichinella spiralis. The answer is we must use "certified" pork - meat that has been deeply frozen below zero for a specified period of time.
Finally, we may use acidity to help destroy pathogenic bacteria. In preserving sausage, we simply introduce a lactic acid-producing bacteria such as lactobacillus or pediococcus. Bacteria cannot tolerate acidic environments. Of course, acidity affects flavor and the addition of an acid is not just a simple solution for every type of meat. Yet, without lactic acid - producing bacteria, we wouldn`t have wonderful, tangy, fermented type sausage.
If you would like to read more about clostridium botulinum in meat, please click on these links:
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=6634 and
http://wedlinydomowe.pl/en/viewtopic.php?t=4903&start=0
Best Wishes,
Chuckwagon