Determination of Saffron Volatiles by HS-SBSE-GC in Flavored Cured Ham

Elena M. Gómez-Sáez,Cándida Lorenzo,Herminia Vergara,Natalia Moratalla-López,Gonzalo L. Alonso

doi:10.3390/molecules26072073

Elena M. Gómez-Sáez, Cándida Lorenzo + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26072073

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Abstract

At present, the development of new agri-food products, including flavored meat products presented in ready-to-eat vacuum packs, is encouraged. The addition of ingredients used as flavoring agents creates the need to be able to determine the volatile compounds responsible for their characteristic aroma. The aim of this study is to propose, develop, and validate a new method that uses headspace-stir bar sorptive extraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SBSE-GC/MS) to determine the saffron aroma in cured ham flavored with this spice. Results showed that safranal was the main volatile compound that could be identified and quantified in cured ham flavored with saffron. This analytical method was adequate in terms of linearity, selectivity, sensitivity, and accuracy. To our knowledge, this is the first time that an HS-SBSE-GC/MS method for determining the saffron aroma of flavored cured ham has been developed and validated, and it is of interest to agri-food industries.

Highlights

One of the cured meat products most valued by Mediterranean consumers is ham.The quality of this product varies according to the pig breed and diet and the processing of the meat
The objective of the present study is to propose, develop, and validate a method based on HS-Stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE)-gas chromatography (GC) to determine the volatile compounds of saffron in cured ham flavored with the spice
This study describes the development and validation of a new analytical method for determining the compounds responsible for saffron aroma in flavored cured ham

Summary

Introduction

One of the cured meat products most valued by Mediterranean consumers is ham.The quality of this product varies according to the pig breed and diet and the processing of the meat. The change in lifestyle that has been underway for a few years means that ham cutting cannot be performed by the consumers themselves and that ready-to-eat slices of cured ham are sold in vacuum packages [5] This implies the addition of a new phase in the entire industrial process for obtaining the food product. The generation of aromas can take place inside the meat itself, which is typical of the traditional curing process [6], or by exogenous pig back fat incorporation (absorption) [7] With this new process (slicing–packaging), spices or other products can be added to enhance sensory characteristics by adsorption of suitable volatiles

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