Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of NaCl replacement in the physicochemical quality and volatile and sensorial profile of dry-cured deer cecina. Two salt mixtures were used as NaCl substitute: mixture I (30% NaCl-70% KCl) and mixture II (30% NaCl-50% KCl-15% CaCl2-5% MgCl2). Regarding the physicochemical parameters, only ash content, pH and L* values were affected by NaCl replacement. However, lipid oxidation was affected by NaCl replacement. The greatest thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values were observed in the control batch (3.28 mg MDA/kg). The partial replacement of NaCl by salt mixtures affected (p < 0.001) Ca, K, Mg, and Na content. The total amounts of free fatty acids and free amino acids were not affected (p > 0.05) by NaCl replacement. Concerning the volatile compounds, control samples presented the highest concentrations of furans (p < 0.01), while samples produced with mixture II had the lowest (p < 0.001) amounts of esters and acids. Our results indicated that all sensory attributes of the attribute map were affected (generalized procrustes analysis (GPA) explained 100% of the total variability among treatments). Considering the results obtained from the sensorial analysis, only mixture II reduced the overall acceptance and preference of consumers. Control attained significantly (p < 0.05) greater scores of acceptance and preference than mixture II despite the higher TBARS content.
Highlights
Cecina is a dry-cured meat that can be elaborated from several species, different pieces of meat, and variations in the processing conditions [1].This product is appreciated in several Mediterranean countries [2], similar products can be found in many other areas of the world [1]
L*, while control group presented higher (p < 0.05) values for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay than both alternative treatments
Our findings showed that the physicochemical composition, volatile compounds, and
Summary
Cecina is a dry-cured meat (salted, smoked and dried) that can be elaborated from several species, different pieces of meat, and variations in the processing conditions [1] This product is appreciated in several Mediterranean countries [2], similar products can be found in many other areas of the world [1]. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is the most important component in the cecina elaborating process, because of its key role in meat quality parameters such as water-holding capacity and water activity. It has a central role in proteolysis and lipolysis phenomena and, in product shelflife [3,4]. It is well known that the compounds derived from lipid oxidation play an important role in the development of the typical aroma of meat products during ripening or dry-cured stages, which is one of the most appreciated attributes by consumers
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