Changes in the components of dry-fermented sausages during ripening

Several chemical changes occur during the ripening of dry-fermented sausages that determine the flavor and odor of the end product. The phenomena that take place during fermentation, that is, both acidification of the sugars by lactic acid bacteria and reduction of nitrates and nitrites to nitric oxide by micrococci have been known for several years. However, the chemical changes involved in this process, and, particularly, the agents responsible have not yet been established, although they have been attributed to changes in the majority components (proteins and lipids) and to the ingredients added (spices and condiments) in the preparation of the original mixture. The typical flavor and odor of dry-fermented sausages cannot be attributed to volatile substances alone, but to a large number of volatile and nonvolatile compounds present in the product in suitable proportions. Microbial growth in the sausage together with activity of the meat endogenous enzymes are undoubtedly partially responsible for the development of a number of aromatic and sapid compounds. However, lipid autooxidation reactions are also an important source of these substances, and it is not yet known which of these processes is more important in sausage ripening. Much research has focused on the break up of triglycerides into free fatty acids, diglycerides, and monoglycerides during ripening and the progressive increase in the amounts of different carbonyl oxidation products. Carbonyl compounds probably play a significant role in determining the flavor because, in general, these have very low perception thresholds, in the ppm and ppb range. Similarly, the protein breakdown to yield peptides and amino acids has been studied extensively, the latter being substrates of several microbial and chemical reactions that generate many flavor compounds.