Effect of Particular Breed on the Chemical Composition, Texture, Color, and Sensorial Characteristics of Dry-cured Ham

Abstract

The present study demonstrates the impact of specific breed on the characteristics of dry-cured ham. Eighty thighs from Korean native pig (KNP), crossbreed (Landrace×Yorkshire)♀×Duroc♂ (LYD), Berkshire (Ber), and Duroc (Du) pig breeds (n = 10 for each breed) were used for processing of dry-cured ham. The thighs were salted with 6% NaCl (w/w) and 100 ppm NaNO2, and total processing time was 413 days. The effects of breed on the physicochemical composition, texture, color and sensory characteristics were assessed on the biceps femoris muscle of the hams. The results revealed that the highest weight loss was found in the dry-cured ham of LYD breed and the lowest weight loss was found in Ber dry-cured ham. The KNP dry-cured ham contain higher intramuscular fat level than other breed hams (p<0.05). It was observed that the dry-cured ham made from KNP breed had the lowest water activity value and highest salt content, while the LYD dry-cure ham had higher total volatile basic nitrogen content than the Ber and Du hams (p<0.05). Zinc, iron and total monounsaturated fatty acids levels were higher in KNP ham while polyunsaturated fatty acids levels were higher in Du ham when compared to other breed hams (p<0.05). Additionally, the KNP dry-cured ham possessed higher Commission International de l’Eclairage (CIE) a* value, while the Du dry-cured ham had higher L*, CIE b* and hue angle values (p<0.05). Furthermore, breed significantly affected the sensory attributes of dry-cured hams with higher scores for color, aroma and taste found in KNP dry-cured ham as compared to other breed hams (p<0.05). The overall outcome of the study is that the breed has a potential effect on the specific chemical composition, texture, color and sensorial properties of dry-cured hams. These data could be useful for meat processors to select the suitable breeds for economical manufacturing of high quality dry-cured hams.

Potential use of glasswort powder as a salt replacer for production of healthier dry-cured ham products

“…Similarly, the replacement with 2% GP did not affect the protein content within any product studied. The protein contents ranging between the products from 32.33 g/100 g to 38.85 g/100 g in the present study were lower than the levels (40-42 g/100 g) reported for dry-cured hams in literature (Marusic et al 2011;Seong et al 2014). The contrasting results could be explained by lower moisture contents in samples in these studies.…”

“…Comparing the a w values between the cut products shows significantly lower values in Boseop at all replaced levels as compared with those of the other products (P < 0.05). The a w values in all samples made with/ without GP in the present study were generally lower than the values (0.89-0.91) reported for dry-cured ham ripened for 413 days (Seong et al 2014), but almost similar to the values (0.86-0.88) reported of dry-cured ham ripened for 415 days (Andres et al 2005). The contrasting results could be due to the difference between the studies in the sizes of raw materials or ripening conditions used.…”

“…In which, the replacement with GP resulted in lower pH values compared with the control; this could be due to a higher level of lactic acid produced in these treated samples. In general, the pH values in all samples in the present study were much lower than the values (6.03-6.72) reported for the dry-cured hams made from whole legs (Arnau et al 2003;Seong et al 2014). It is well known that the shelf-life of many food products is affected by a number of factors such as pH condition; the lower the pH, the higher the shelf-life stability.…”

“…The dry-cured meat products as a whole have high storage stability due to their typical physicochemical properties such as low moisture and pH, and high salt content (Papadima & Bloukas 1999). Compared to the added salt levels of about 1.5% in other meat products such as frankfurter or Vienna sausage types (Choe et al 2013;Seong et al 2015) the levels of salt added to the dry-cured meat products are often higher, about 3-9% (w/w) due to the microbiological safety and 'shelf-stable' issues (Gil et al 1999;Andres et al 2004;Uguz et al 2011;Seong et al 2014). For centuries, salt has been used for the preservation of meat products and is one of the most widely used ingredients in meat product processing not only due to its contribution to desirable flavour, texture, and shelf-life of the products but also the cheapest cost (Man 2007).…”

“…Practically, the manufacture of dry-cured ham products is time-consuming, approximately from 280 to 660 days because these products are usually made from whole legs of pigs with average weights of about 6-12 kg (Andres et al 2004;Cilla et al 2005;Costa-Corredor et al 2009;Armenteros et al 2012;Seong et al 2014). Despite the dry-cured hams are often made with high salt levels as mentioned above, as well as the negative effects of the excessive sodium intake on health has been widely reported, however, there are still limited studies focusing on reducing the added NaCl content in these product types (Costa-Corredor et al 2009;Armenteros et al 2012).…”