Authentication of the Montanera Period on Carcasses of Iberian Pigs by Using Analytical Techniques and Chemometric Analyses

Miriam Hernández-Jiménez,Lourdes Arce,María José Cardador,Inmaculada González-Martín,Isabel Revilla,Rocío Ríos-Reina,Ana María Vivar-Quintana

doi:10.3390/ani11092671

Miriam Hernández-Jiménez, Lourdes Arce + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092671

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Journal: Animals	Publication Date: Sep 11, 2021
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Córdoba, Universidad de Salamanca

Abstract

Simple SummaryFor the Iberian pork industry, the authentication of the raw material is of great importance. For this reason, the main object of this study was the classification of Iberian pig carcasses in accordance with the time the animals have spent in the montanera period and the breed. To do this, the potential of Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry techniques was studied. Different sampling methods and mathematical treatments of the data were assayed. The results obtained show high percentages of correct classification both for days in the montanera and according to the breed for both techniques. The advantages for the industry are that none of the selected techniques require any chemical treatment of the sample before analysis and the proposed sampling is easy to use by the operator. It is also not necessary to identify individual compounds. This leads to the conclusion that both technologies are fast and useful for the authentication of raw material.The potential of two complementary analytical techniques (near infrared spectroscopy, NIRS and gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry, GC-IMS) was used to establish the time that Iberian pigs have been fed on acorns and pasture and to verify their genetic purity. For both techniques it was neither necessary to carry out any chemical treatment in advance nor to identify individual compounds. The results showed that both the NIR spectrum and the spectral fingerprint obtained by GC-IMS were affected by the time that the Iberian pig feeds on natural resources. High percentages of correct classification were achieved in the calibration for both techniques: >98% for the days of montanera and >96% for the breed by NIRS and >99% for the days of montanera and >98% for the breed by GC-IMS. The results obtained showed that NIR spectra taken from intact samples is a quick classification method according to the time of montanera and breed.

Highlights

Spain is the leading world producer of ham from white and Iberian pigs; the latter is a sector of huge importance to the Spanish economy [1]
A sampling method using needles has been proposed for cured ham which allowed its classification according to the feeding type and the breed with satisfactory results [25], this type of sampling for subcutaneous fat at the time of slaughter had not previously been used
The sampling protocols were as follows: homogenized subcutaneous fat, needles inserted into subcutaneous fat at the abattoir at 20–24 ◦ C, needles inserted into the block of cooled fat at 5–7 ◦ C, and needles inserted into a block of refrigerated fat at 0–1 ◦ C

Summary

Introduction

Spain is the leading world producer of ham from white and Iberian pigs; the latter is a sector of huge importance to the Spanish economy [1]. The traditional production system of the Iberian pig is based on the exploitation of the natural resources available in the dehesa ecosystem, in which the animal roams freely feeding on holm oak and/or cork oak acorns and pasture; this is known as montanera. According to this feeding system, a label of “100% Iberian acorn-fed” is awarded for the pure Iberian breed or one of “Iberian acorn-fed” when the purity of the breed is at least. To prevent fraud in the labeling of these products it is, necessary to establish tools which allow the authentication of the breed and the feeding system of the Iberian pig when it is slaughtered

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