Process
Freezing for parasites
Sustained freezing at a specified temperature for a specified number of days.
Published parameters
| Parameter | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pieces up to 6 inches | 20 days at 5 F, 10 days at -10 F, 6 days at -20 F | FSIS-GD-2016-0002, Table 2 |
| Pieces over 6 and up to 27 inches | 30 days at 5 F, 20 days at -10 F, 12 days at -20 F | FSIS-GD-2016-0002, Table 2 |
| Controlled freezing at the centre | 106 hours at 0 F down to 8 hours at -30 F | FSIS-GD-2016-0002, Table 2A |
What the step is for
Controls Trichinella in pork where no heat step is applied.
The freezing schedules are the most practical of the Trichinella controls for anyone not running a drying room to a validated schedule, and they are stated in a form that a domestic freezer usually cannot meet: a domestic freezer sits around 0 F, and the Table 2 schedule starts at 5 F for 20 days for pieces up to six inches.
Table 2A is the alternative, and it is measured at the centre of the piece rather than as an air temperature. 106 hours at 0 F is the least demanding entry.
None of this addresses bacteria. Freezing is a parasite control and nothing else.
Hazards this step bears on
Instruments this step is measured with
Every parameter above is stated in a unit. These are the instruments those units are read with, and that is the only claim being made for them: they let you find out what your product is. None of them makes this step safe, none of them is required by any of the sources cited above, and this site does not tell anyone that a procedure works. Consumables, cures and cultures are deliberately not linked from a method page; they are on supplies.
Affiliate links
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Probe thermometer, calibrated
Every entry in the Trichinella heating table and every cooking endpoint is an internal temperature in all parts of the product. FSIS requires monitoring by a calibrated device.
Parameter: FSIS-GD-2016-0002, Table 1, 13 time and temperature combinations
Listing
RIWUSI Meat Thermometer Digital, Instant Read Thermometer with Dual Probe
- Lowest new, checked 2026-09-04
- $9.99
- Lowest used, checked 2026-09-04
- $7.59
- Brand
- RIWUSI
- ASIN
- B0F5WWFPBG
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Regulatory citations are to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, Title 9, as in force on 1 January 2026. FSIS guideline citations give the guideline identifier; the documents are listed with their URLs on methodology.