Headspace Volatiles of Dry-Cured Ham: A Comparison of Different Manufacturing Styles by Spme and Gc/MS Analysis

Abstract

Headspace volatiles of Iberian, Italian, industrially manufactured and German handcrafted dry‐cured ham were extracted by means of a solid phase microextraction device. Compounds were separated and identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis. Semi‐quantitative data were obtained as the ratio of monitored headspace volatiles. Forty volatiles arising from lipid oxidation, Maillard reaction or additives were monitored. Lipid oxidation products are main compounds in the headspace of all hams. Unsaturated aldehydes are more important in the Iberian and Italian hams subjected to long ripening. As 5‐butyldihydro‐2(3H)‐furanone was found only in these products, this might be considered a quality parameter. The headspace concentrations of some Maillard products were found to be higher in Iberian and Italian hams. In industrially manufactured and German handcrafted hams, headspace volatiles included compounds deriving from additives. A significantly higher ratio of benzmethanol in the headspace of Iberian ham seems to be related to the acorn diet of Iberian pigs. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This study applies a straightforward analytical method to identify the headspace volatiles of a commonly available selection of dry‐cured hams representing a wide variety of raw materials and manufacturing styles. The solid phase microextraction technique used here can easily be repeated and is suitable for routine analysis and quality monitoring. This method could thus be a helpful tool both to improve the manufacturing process and to monitor specific quality parameters. While most publications on the aroma of dry‐cured hams focus on a single product or on a selection of similar products, this study investigated very different hams in order to obtain very basic data to help clarify what makes the individual product unique and identify flavor compounds which could be key components of the specific aroma and thus important quality parameters.

Volatile and Amino Acid Profiling of Dry Cured Hams from Different Swine Breeds and Processing Methods

“…On the contrary, 2-ethylfuran showed minor interest in classifying hams or contributing to aroma. We have not found other furanes identified by some authors [ 40 ].…”

Sensory Characteristics and Volatile Components of Dry Dog Foods Manufactured with Sorghum Fractions

“…The Whole Sorghum Diet (WSD) sample had the highest concentration (0.98 µg/kg) of aldehydes, followed by the Mill Feed (MF) sample (0.91 µg/kg), Control Diet (CD) sample (0.85 µg/kg), and Flour Diet (FD) (0.72 µg/kg). Aldehydes have been shown to play a major role in odor contribution even if present in low concentration, since aldehydes often have low thresholds, in the range of a few micrograms per liter of water [ 13 ]. Hexanal, the main product of oxidation of linoleic acid [ 15 ], was the most abundant compound among the aldehydes, with a concentration range varying from 0.33 µg/kg in the FD sample to 0.55 µg/kg in the MF sample.…”

“…Due to the complexity of pet food, the study of the aromatic composition can provide important information in order to understand the product [ 11 ]. Several studies exist that investigated the volatile aromatic composition of food, such as grains or meat ingredients, which can be part of pet food products as raw materials [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. The analysis of the volatile compound composition of different types of grains, such as corn, rye, wheat, barley, and rice, has been conducted using extraction techniques such as solid-phase microextraction (SPME).…”

Volatile Compounds in Dry Dog Foods and Their Influence on Sensory Aromatic Profile

“…The second most abundant aldehyde was hexanal, often contributing to the green odor notes in foods. Both of these aldehydes have been reported in a variety of products including ham [9], sausages [21], turkey breast [7], different grain products [11,22], and dairy products [19]. In addition to hexanal, heptanal, octanal, and nonanal which are common lipid oxidation products, were found in most samples.…”

“…Both studies found pet food samples to be complex products. Volatile compounds have been studied for numerous food products that may be raw materials for pet food [7,8,9,10,11]. Pet foods are interesting objects for aromatic composition studies as their formulation is often complex.…”