The effects of extended curing on the microbiological, physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of Cecina de León

Investigation of textural and physicochemical changes during the manufacturing process of pastırma, a dry-cured meat product

The changes in textural and physicochemical properties and stability of meat proteins during the production of pastırma were studied. Samples taken at different production stages (raw material, curing, first drying, second drying and final product) were analyzed. The pH decreased at the end of the curing but increased after the first and second drying. While moisture content and water activity decreased throughout the pastırma production, salt content and Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) increased. Production stages affected the free fatty acids, residual nitrite content and color parameters (P < 0.01). These results showed that considerable physicochemical changes occurred in the production stages of pastırma. The denaturation temperatures for myosin and actin decreased at the end of the curing, however, no denaturation peak for myosin was observed in the later stages. Hardness, cohesiveness and chewiness increased throughout the pastırma production. Warner-Bratzler (WB) shear force increased at the end of the first drying and in the final product. These results are important in terms of obtaining the desired textural properties in the final product. Also, remarkable correlations were detected among the determined properties during the manufacturing process. The study provided considerable findings for the development of industrial pastırma production.

Effect of NaCl Partial Replacement by Chloride Salts on Physicochemical Characteristics, Volatile Compounds and Sensorial Properties of Dry-Cured Deer Cecina

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of NaCl replacement in the physicochemical quality and volatile and sensorial profile of dry-cured deer cecina. Two salt mixtures were used as NaCl substitute: mixture I (30% NaCl-70% KCl) and mixture II (30% NaCl-50% KCl-15% CaCl₂-5% MgCl₂). Regarding the physicochemical parameters, only ash content, pH and L* values were affected by NaCl replacement. However, lipid oxidation was affected by NaCl replacement. The greatest thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values were observed in the control batch (3.28 mg MDA/kg). The partial replacement of NaCl by salt mixtures affected (p < 0.001) Ca, K, Mg, and Na content. The total amounts of free fatty acids and free amino acids were not affected (p > 0.05) by NaCl replacement. Concerning the volatile compounds, control samples presented the highest concentrations of furans (p < 0.01), while samples produced with mixture II had the lowest (p < 0.001) amounts of esters and acids. Our results indicated that all sensory attributes of the attribute map were affected (generalized procrustes analysis (GPA) explained 100% of the total variability among treatments). Considering the results obtained from the sensorial analysis, only mixture II reduced the overall acceptance and preference of consumers. Control attained significantly (p < 0.05) greater scores of acceptance and preference than mixture II despite the higher TBARS content.

Raw meat quality and salt levels affect the bacterial species diversity and community dynamics during the fermentation of pork mince

Acidification level and temperature modulate the beneficial consortia of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) during meat fermentation. Less is known about the impact of other factors, such as raw meat quality and salting. These could for instance affect the growth of the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus or of Enterobacterales species, potentially indicative of poor fermentation practice. Therefore, pork batters from either normal or borderline quality (dark-firm-dry, DFD) were compared at various salt concentrations (0-4%) in meat fermentation models. Microbial ecology of the samples was investigated with culture-dependent techniques and (GTG)₅-PCR fingerprinting of genomic DNA. Whilst Lactobacillus sakei governed the fermentation of normal meat, Lactobacillus curvatus was more prominent in the fermentation of the DFD meat variant. CNS were favoured during fermentation at rising salt concentrations without much effects on species diversity, consisting mostly of Staphylococcus equorum, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, and Staphylococcus xylosus. During fermentation of DFD meat, S. saprophyticus was less manifest than during that of normal meat. Enterobacterales mainly emerged in DFD meat during fermentation at low salt concentrations. The salt hurdle was insufficient to prevent Enterobacterales when acidification and initial pH were favourable for their growth.

Impacts of different altitudes and natural drying times on lipolysis, lipid oxidation and flavour profile of traditional Tibetan yak jerky

The impact of different altitudes on the physicochemical properties, lipolysis, lipid oxidation, volatile compound formation and sensory evaluation of traditional Tibetan dried yak jerky during natural drying was investigated. High altitude (HA) yak jerky showed higher percentages of unsaturated fatty acids and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances than low altitude (LA) yak jerky during natural drying (P < 0.05). The percentages of polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids decreased during natural drying, whereas that of saturated fatty acids increased (P < 0.05). A total of 54 volatile compounds were identified and quantified, and there were higher contents of volatile compounds in HA yak jerky than in LA jerky, which were mainly derived from lipid oxidation. Principal component analysis showed that the volatile compounds associated with the highest overall acceptability in HA yak jerky were hexanal, nonanal, (E)-2-nonenal, 1-hexanol, 2-heptanone, 2-methyl-3-octanone and 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one. The volatile compounds associated with the highest overall acceptability for yak jerky with a longer natural drying time were hexane, 1-octanol, 2-ethylhexanol, heptanal, (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal, 1-octen-3-ol and 2,3-octanedione. According to the sensory evaluations, HA yak jerky with a natural drying time of 75 d tends to be more popular.

Substitution effects of NaCl by KCl and CaCl2 on Lipolysis of Salted Meat

The objective of this study was to investigate the reduction and partial substitution effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) by potassium chloride (KCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl₂) on lipolysis and lipid oxidation in salted meat aiming at reducing sodium content. To evaluate the effect of different salts on lipid oxidation thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) assay was performed along 180 days. Furthermore, ESI-MS/MS and GC analysis were conducted to detect and identify oxidized lipids, volatile compounds and free fatty acids profiles during the meat processing time. Lipid profiles from different salted meat demonstrated that CaCl₂ salt have inducted more lipid oxidation when compared to the combination of NaCl and KCl salts, highlighting the implication of CaCl₂ on increased lipolysis reactions. Moreover, the obtained results from both the analyses suggest that a combination of NaCl and KCl salts can be a good alternative for reducing the sodium content without compromising the quality of the salted meat.

Physicochemical characteristics of sheep and goat pâtés. differences between fat sources and proportions

The physicochemical composition of sheep and goat pâtés with different sources and percentage of fat (10% and 30%; pork belly or olive oil) were evaluated. A low-fat content (9.7–18.2%) was observed in the pâtés comparing with similar meat products. Cholesterol was lower in pâtés with olive oil than with pork fat. The source of fat (pork belly or olive oil) and the proportion of fat influenced significantly the fatty acid profile. Pâtés with olive oil have lower saturated fat content and highest monounsaturated fat while and goat meat pâtés have higher polyunsaturated fat content The polyunsaturated versus saturated fatty acids ratio varying from 0.21 to 0.39 and the total unsaturated fatty acids showed that sheep and goat pâtés are balanced products and could be an interesting way to the added value of animals with low commercial and consumer acceptability.

Consumer Acceptability of Dry Cured Meat from Cull Ewes Reared with Different Linseed Supplementation Levels and Feeding Durations

Dry cured meat—‘cecina’—is a traditional, although not well-known, dry product that could add value to cull ewes. Because of this, the aim of the study was to assess consumer acceptability of ‘cecina’ from cull ewes finished with different levels of linseed (5, 10 or 15%) for different periods before slaughtering (30, 50 or 70 days). One hundred and fifty consumers evaluated colour acceptability, fatness and odour, flavour and overall acceptability of ‘cecina’ from those 9 treatments. Additionally, habits of consumption of cured products and preferences for different species and willingness to pay for ‘cecina’ were investigated. Linseed supplementation was identified as the most important factor for sensorial attributes (p < 0.01), with the preferred ‘cecina’ being that with 5% and 10% supplementation. Feeding duration only modified the fatness acceptability (p < 0.01). ‘Cecina’ from small ruminants is a product consumed occasionally by the majority of participants; however, it presented an adequate overall acceptability. Consequently, elaborating ‘cecina’ would be a feasible strategy to improve the income of farmers.

Physicochemical changes of semimembranosus muscle during the processing of dry-cured ham from Celta pig. Effect of crossbreeding with Duroc and Landrace genotypes

Physicochemical characteristics of dry-cured hams from three genetic types, Celta breed (C line), Celta × Duroc (C × D) and Celta × Landrace (C × L) were determined on the semimembranosus muscle during 551 days of aging. Hams were obtained from 60 pigs reared in extensive systems and finished with a commercial feeding. Physicochemical parameters (pH and water activity) and chemical composition, (moisture, intramuscular fat, ash, protein and total chlorides content), colour parameters (L*, a* and b*) and lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances value) were studied during the whole process after salting, post-salting, drying and bodega stages. Hams from crosses were characterised by higher intramuscular fat (12.78% and 10.48% for C × D and C × L lines, respectively) and moisture (46.86% and 46.63% for C × D and C × L genotypes, respectively), contents respect to Celta pure line that showed values of 5.96% and 35.83% for intramuscular fat and water content, respectively. Concerning colour parameters, hams from Celta line had lower values for all colour traits. The influence of crossbreeding on most physicochemical parameters observed was mainly due to the differences in moisture and intramuscular fat between hams obtained from pure breed and crosses. As a general conclusion, the crossbreeding of Celta pig (especially with the Duroc line) allows to improve the quality of dry-cured hams.

Effects of Ripening Conditions on the 'Lomo embuchado' Sausage Quality

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of two different ripening durations, with, or without adding rosemary powder, on Lomo embuchado (LEO) sausage quality. All LEOs were ripened for two different durations, 45 or 60 d, with, or without the addition of rosemary powder, as follows: 1) LEO ripened for 45 d (LER45), 2) LEO ripened for 60 d (LER60), 3) rosemary LEO ripened for 45 d (RLE45), and 4) rosemary LEO ripened for 60 d (RLE60). Significant differences were observed in both moisture and ash content, with higher moisture and less ash content in LER45 (p<0.05). No trend was shown in the crude protein content of the four different treatments, but significantly low protein content was shown only in RLE45 (p<0.05). Ripening for 45 d improved the lightness, yellowness, and water activity of LEOs (p<0.05). However, ripening duration together with rosemary powder addition had no significant effects on redness (p>0.05). The LER45 generated significantly improved chewiness, gumminess, and hardness, as compared to both LER60 and RLE60 (p<0.05). In conclusion, the results suggest that ripening for 45 d seems to enhance LEO quality, but that rosemary powder addition may not be required to develop good LEO quality.

Changes on physico-chemical, textural, lipolysis and volatile compounds during the manufacture of dry-cured foal "cecina"

The changes in the physico-chemical and textural properties, lipolysis and volatile compounds during the manufacture of dry-cured foal "cecina" were studied. The pH increased during the last stages of processing but gradually declined over the curing period. TBARS values, hardness and chewiness increased with processing time from 0.14, 2.74 and 0.83 to 3.49 mg malonaldehyde/kg, 20.33 kg and 5.05 kg∗mm, respectively. Ripening time also affected the colour parameters: lightness (L*), redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) (P<0.001). The total average content of free fatty acid (FFA) increased significantly from 433.7 mg/100 g of fat in the raw pieces to 2655.5 mg/100 g of fat at the end of the drying-ripening stage. The main FFA at the end of the manufacturing process was palmitic acid (C16:0), followed by oleic (C18:1cis9), stearic (C18:0) and linoleic (C18:2n-6). A total of fifty five volatile compounds were identified during the manufacture of dry-cured foal "cecina", including esters, aldehydes, aliphatic hydrocarbons, branched hydrocarbons, alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons, furans, ketones. Aldehydes reached their maximum level at the end of the post-salting stage. In the final product, esters became the dominant chemical compounds.