Abstract
Variations in the amounts of volatile alcohols and esters from subcutaneous fat have been assessed during the dry-curing process (1022 days) of Iberian ham according to a purge and trap-gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy method, using the same hams throughout the process. During processing time, the subcutaneous adipose tissues of ten hams obtained from five Iberian pigs fed on acorns and pasture were sampled and analyzed once per month. Fifteen alcohols and five esters have been identified. All volatile alcohols detected in this work have been previously identified by other authors on Iberian ham, except 3-buten-2-ol, 5-methyl-3-hexanol and 2-isononanol. A linear discriminant analysis (LDA) was applied and the two discriminant functions were obtained using backward stepwise analysis retaining the following variables: butyl ester formic acid, 1-penten-3-ol, methyl ester 2-propenoic acid, 5-methyl-3-hexanol, 1-nonanol, ethyl ester pentanoic acid, ethyl ester hexanoic acid, 2-isononanol, ethanol and 3-buten-2-ol. A complete separation among the three periods was obtained, suggesting that the retained variables are powerful descriptors to distinguish samples from these three dry-curing stages.
Highlights
Due to the traditional techniques used for manufacturing and because the pigs are raised in freerange conditions, the Iberian dry-cured ham is characterized by a flavor with strong intensity
The production area of Iberian pigs constitute the southwest of Spain and the south of Portugal, providing an international importance to the products derived from this and as consequence to the dry-cured ham
It has been demonstrated that the sensory quality of this product derived from Iberian pig depends on ripening conditions (Andrés et al, 2007; Flores et al, 1997; Ruiz et al, 1999) and factors that affect the raw meat characteristics, such as the rearing system, mainly during the fattening period, the age of the animals and pig genotype (Dirinck et al, 1997; Jurado et al, 2007; NarváezRivas et al, 2010b, 2011; Ramírez and Cava, 2007; Sabio et al, 1998)
Summary
Due to the traditional techniques used for manufacturing and because the pigs are raised in freerange conditions, the Iberian dry-cured ham is characterized by a flavor with strong intensity. The production area of Iberian pigs constitute the southwest of Spain and the south of Portugal, providing an international importance to the products derived from this and as consequence to the dry-cured ham. Their artisanal production method has lasted due to its highly demanded characteristics (Andersen et al, 2005). The elaboration of the Iberian dry-cured ham is a long traditional process of ripening (about 2–3 years), where the understanding of it could help to improve the product quality and optimize the duration of processing. It has been demonstrated that the sensory quality (aroma, flavor and texture) of this product derived from Iberian pig depends on ripening conditions (Andrés et al, 2007; Flores et al, 1997; Ruiz et al, 1999) and factors that affect the raw meat characteristics, such as the rearing system, mainly during the fattening period, the age of the animals and pig genotype (Dirinck et al, 1997; Jurado et al, 2007; NarváezRivas et al, 2010b, 2011; Ramírez and Cava, 2007; Sabio et al, 1998)
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