Study of the biochemical changes during the processing of Androlla, a Spanish dry-cured pork sausage

Abstract

Androlla is a dry-cured sausage manufactured with pork in the northwest of Spain (Galicia). In three batches of this product, manufactured by three different producers, samples of the mix before stuffing and from sausages after 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 days of ripening were taken. In each sample, the overall chemical composition, physico-chemical parameters, nitrogen fractions and some degradative parameters of the fat were determined. The changes in the different compositional parameters throughout ripening were similar to those observed in other similar products and the values of these parameters, at the end of ripening, were inside the wide range of values reported in the bibliography for various dry-cured sausages. Sugars were not added in the mix and the lactic fermentation during ripening was not very intense. The values of non-protein nitrogen, α-aminoacidic nitrogen and total basic volatile nitrogen were increased significantly during ripening. The final levels of non-protein nitrogen were found to be within the range of values observed for other sausage varieties; however, the values of α-aminoacidic nitrogen and total basic volatile nitrogen were lower than those found in similar products. From the values of the acidity of the fat it can be concluded that the lipolysis that this product undergoes is moderate; the peroxide values are higher than those found in other sausages, however T.B.A. values are lower to those habitually described by other authors.