THE EFFECT OF COMMERCIAL PROCESSING ON INCURRED RESIDUES OF DDE IN MEAT-PRODUCTS

The influence of processing on the degradation of DDE in meat products was investigated. First, the current level of contamination in six different types of Spanish meat products was determined. Analysis were carried out by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detector. Of the three residues analysed (both o,p' and p,p' isomers of DDT, DDD, and DDE), only p,p'-DDE was found above the detection limit of 4 mu g/kg fat. The frequency of p,p'-DDE detection for the various products investigated varied between 78 and 100% of the 129 samples analysed, although mean levels were very low, in the range within 6-16 mu g/kg. No sample contained DDE residues above the EC maximum residue limit of 1 mg/kg for DDT and metabolites on meat products. Mean concentrations of DDE in Spanish meat products have declined since 1980 by more than 10-fold as compared with previously reported data. Meat products following three commercial processes were analysed to compare the levels of DDE in the finished products with those obtained in the starting material. The average levels of DDE remained unchanged after 30 days of curing in 26 samples of pork sausage. Similarly, mean DDE concentrations were essentially constant throughout the ripening process to which 30 hams were subjected. Finally, cooking in an oven (80-82 degrees C for 100 min) of 20 pork bologna samples produced an apparent increase of 12.5% in mean p,p'-DDE levels that was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Apparently, this increase could be caused by some compositional changes in the sample matrix brought about by the cooking process, in which the added nitrites may have played a role.