Abstract
This study aimed to identify surface mould species overgrowing the Croatian protected meat products “Istarski pršut” and “Dalmatinski pršut” and their effect on sensory properties. Dry-cured hams were produced in 2018/2019 and obtained from annual fairs. The predominant surface species found on “Dalmatinski pršut” were Aspergillus chevalieri, Penicillium citrinum and Aspergillus cibarius, whereas those overgrowing “Istarski pršut” were Aspergillus proliferans, P. citrinum and Penicillium salamii. The results show species diversity, higher presence, and greater variety of Aspergillus species in “Dalmatinski pršut” in comparison to “Istarski pršut”, and significant variations in 9 of 20 sensory attributes. Principal component analysis revealed a clear distinction between the two, and a large contribution of P. salamii and Penicillium bialowienzense to one principal component. The texture traits, smoky odour, muscle and subcutaneous fatty tissue colour, and mould species found are valuable for product characterisation. The results also indicate that mould species may be responsible for some sensory traits, such as tenderness, juiciness, and lesser freshness.
Highlights
The production of dry-cured hams is traditionally associated with European Mediterranean countries, especially Spain, Italy, France, and Croatia, as the countries of origin of numerous different ham types [1,2,3,4]
Given that the investigated types of dry-cured hams are protected at the national level in terms of protected geographical indication (“Dalmatinski pršut”) and protected designation of origin (“Istarski pršut”), their production technologies are described in detail in Product Specifications [5,6]
The study results showed no significant differences in the number of mould isolates between “Istarski pršut” and “Dalmatinski pršut”, produced using different production technologies and coming from different climatic regions, but did show species diversity, and higher percentage and greater variety of Aspergillus species in “Dalmatinski pršut”
Summary
The production of dry-cured hams is traditionally associated with European Mediterranean countries, especially Spain, Italy, France, and Croatia, as the countries of origin of numerous different ham types [1,2,3,4]. These products are recognised and highly prized for their delicious odour, flavour, and texture [3]. A dry-cured ham is a cured meat product whose preparation involves dry salting, dehydration, and gradual chemical-enzymatic transformations of fresh pork during long-term ripening (over 12 months). Regarding the PDO-labelled products, raw ingredients come from the region of origin where the entire production takes place, whereas in the case of the PGIs, at least one of the production stages takes place in the region
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