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Evolution in the shoulder composition of hairless Mexican pigs throughout the curing and drying processes
G L Delgado1, C S Gómez, L M S Rubio
1Department of Food Analysis, Facultad de Quı́mica, University Nacı́onal Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to analyze the chemical composition changes of the shoulders of the Hairless Mexican pigs (HMP) throughout the curing and drying processes. Shoulder composition (% of fat, protein and ash) was evaluated for moisture, water activity (Aw), pH, nitrates and sodium chloride (NaCl). Results from this study were analyzed using a descriptive analysis. Dry-curing significantly decreased Aw (raw: 0.97±0.01, dry-cured: 0.87±0.01), % of moisture (raw: 50.75±1.16, dry-cured: 31.43±1.16), pH (raw: 6.11±0.04, dry-cured: 5.82±0.04), nitrates (raw: 54.26±3.22, dry-cured: 20.03±3.22) and % of ashes (raw: 10.00±0.41, dry-cured: 8.13±0.41) throughout the process. Percentage of NaCl (raw: 0.28±0.04, dry-cured: 0.72±0.04), of fat (raw: 17.46±1.50, dry-cured: 20.53±0.11) and protein (raw: 20.63±1.34 and dry-cured: 30.21±0.95) increased significantly. The low percentage of salt and moisture and the high percentage of fat found on the final HMP shoulders suggested that the dry-curing produced a highly palatable product.
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