Study of the proteolysis and cathepsin D activity of commercial dry-cured Iberian and Serrano hams

Abstract

Physicochemical characteristics, proteolysis, and cathepsin D activity of the Semimembranosus and Biceps femoris muscles from commercial Iberian and Serrano hams were evaluated.Total nitrogen, sodium chloride, fat, and amino acid nitrogen contents were the only parameters of physicochemical composition and nitrogen fractions that enabled Iberian ham to be differentiated from Serrano ham in the two muscles considered.A wide variety of polypeptides in sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar protein fractions were found in the Semimembranousus and Biceps femoris muscles from Serrano and Iberian commercial samples. The sarcoplasmic proteins present in both muscles from both ham varieties had molecular weights of 80, 50, 45 (creatine kinase), 30 (phosphoglycerate mutase), 18, 16 (myoglobin), and 9 kDa. The common myofibrillar proteins in both muscles from both ham varieties had molecular weights of 102 (α-actinin), 90, 80, 60, 50, 35 (Tropomyosin), 30,, 15 (Myosin light chain III), and 11 kDa .The protein profile showed that, in general, the myofibrillar protein fraction underwent more intense proteolysis than the sarcoplasmic protein fraction, giving rise to a larger number of low-molecular-weight peptides.Residual cathepsin D activity in the samples was very low, with no differences between either the muscle tissues or the ham varieties, indicating that the hams are relatively stable, as regards to proteolysis, once they have reached the marketplace.

Biochemical characteristics of dry-cured lacón (a Spanish traditional meat product) throughout the manufacture, and sensorial properties of the final product. Effect of some additives

“…This decrease can be attributed to the salting process and to the increase in the NaCl content, and above all, to the intense dehydration that the pieces undergo during the drying-ripening stage. The average final values observed in the present study (0.876 and 0.885 for the batches processed without and with additives, respectively) were similar to those reported for the final products in the manufacture of hams (Astiasarán et al, 1988(Astiasarán et al, , 1991González-Viñ as et al, 2003;Mariscal et al, 2004;Silla et al, 1985).…”

“…The NaCl content of lacó n at the end of the manufacturing process (13% of TS) was higher than the values (9.29-11.4% of TS) reported by some authors for Iberian ham (Mariscal, García-Ruíz, Soriano, & Cabezudo, 2004; Martín, Có rdoba, Antequera, Timó n, & Ventanas, 1998), Serrano ham (Astiasarán et al, 1988(Astiasarán et al, , 1991Mariscal et al, 2004), and Italian hams (Bellatti & Reverbi, 1997;Moller, Parolari, Gabba, Christensen, & Skibsted, 2003). However other authors reported higher values (13-20% of TS) for the NaCl content in hams (Bellatti & Reverbi, 1997;Buscailhon et al, 1994b;González-Viñ as et al, 2003;Gou, Guerrero, & Arnau, 1995;Monin et al, 1996;Rastelli & Bellatti, 2000;Toscani et al, 2000).…”

“…In the batches without additives, the pH values did not change significantly throughout the manufacturing process. The pH values observed in dry-cured lacó n were higher than those previously reported by other authors for different hams (Astiasarán et al, 1988;Bellatti et al, 1983;De Prado, 1988;González-Viñ as et al, 2003;Gou et al, 1995;Huerta et al, 1988;Mariscal et al, 2004;Silla, Innerarity, & Flores, 1985).…”

Effect of Salting Duration on Lipid Oxidation and the Fatty Acid Content of Dry-Cured Lacon

“…According to previous reported data in the relevant literature, the NaCl contents in lacón pieces at the end of the manufacturing process in this study are at the lower end of the range of values described for different varieties of ham (Astiasarán et al, 1988;Buscailhon et al, 1994a;Gou et al, 1995;Bellatti & Reverbi, 1997;Monin et al, 1997;Martín et al, 1998;Schivazappa et al, 1998;Toscani et al, 2000;Candek-Potokar et al, 2002;Moller et al, 2003;Mariscal et al, 2004). Table 2 shows the variation in the peroxide values in both the muscular and subcutaneous fat of the pieces during manufacture of the batches salted for different times.…”

Changes in the Physical–Chemical Properties and Volatile Flavor Components of Dry-Cured Donkey Leg during Processing

“…During the salting stage, NaCl can gradually penetrate from the surface to the inside of dry-cured donkey leg as the diffusion and evaporation of the moisture continue, resulting in an increased level of the chloride content. At the aging stage, chloride content (12.39%) was higher than the values of Iberian (9.29%) and Serrano hams (11.4%); however, they all showed a similar increased trend [ 50 ]. Regarding ash content, it increased significantly ( p < 0.05) during the salting stage (from 3% to 13%) due to the increasing salts content and the loss of moisture in dry-cured donkey legs at this stage.…”