Pork Products

Pork, cured, ham with natural juices, shank, bone-in, separable lean and fat, unheated

Parameters

Sodium: 779 mg
Salt, derived: 1.98 %
Water: 65.0 g
Brine concentration: 2.96 %
Moisture-protein ratio: 2.90 : 1

USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 168343. All values are per 100 g of the food as described. Retrieved 2026-09-04. Source record

How the derived figures were obtained

salt %      = sodium mg / 1000 x 2.5420 / 100 x 100
            = 779 / 1000 x 2.5420 = 1.980 g per 100 g
brine %     = 100 x salt / (salt + water)     [FSIS-GD-2016-0002]
            = 100 x 1.980 / (1.980 + 65.0) = 2.956 %
MPR         = water % / protein % = 65.0 / 22.4 = 2.902 : 1

Full composition, per 100 g

Nutrient	Value	Unit
Water	65.0	g
Total fat	11.1	g
Calcium	6.00	mg
Potassium	279.0	mg
Cholesterol	62.0	mg
Iron	1.01	mg
Sodium	779.0	mg
Protein	22.4	g
Saturated fat	3.61	g
Energy	191.0	kcal
Carbohydrate	0.32	g

What these figures do and do not say

The brine concentration above is computed from this food's own sodium and water using the FSIS formula, 100 x salt / (salt + water). It is a description of a finished commercial product, not a target. FSIS cites 10 percent brine after equalisation as the figure that prevents Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin production during warm drying, and 9 CFR 319.106(b)(4) requires not less than 10 percent for a dry cured ham made without nitrate or nitrite.

Water activity cannot be computed from composition. It is a measurement, and it is the measurement that decides shelf stability. The published limits are 0.85 in air and 0.91 vacuum packed, both from FSIS-GD-2014-0010.

Nearby entries

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2026-09-04.