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Relationship between pH before salting and dry-cured ham quality.
R M García-Rey1, J A García-Garrido, R Quiles-Zafra
1R&D Department, Campofrı́o Alimentación S.A., E-45500 Torrijos, Toledo, Spain.
Meat Science
|November 9, 2011
Summary
Pork pH before salting predicts dry-cured ham quality, identifying issues like pastiness and color defects. Classifying hams by pH allows for processing adjustments to improve the final product.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Meat Science
- Quality Control
Background:
- Pork quality is crucial for dry-cured ham production.
- Pre-salting pH is a critical factor influencing meat characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of pre-salting pH on pork quality for dry-cured ham.
- To correlate sensory characteristics and compositional parameters with pre-salting pH.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments involving 904 and 104 hams, respectively.
- pH measurements, sensory evaluation by an expert panel, and compositional analysis (moisture, nitrogen, salt, protein, nitrates).
Main Results:
- Pre-salting pH significantly correlated with pastiness (p<0.001), anomalous cut color, and crusting.
- A pH cut-off of 5.55 differentiated normal-pH and low-pH hams, showing significant differences in moisture, salt, protein, non-protein nitrogen, and nitrate content.
- Low-pH hams exhibited more texture and color defects.
Conclusions:
- Pre-salting pH is a reliable predictor of raw material quality for dry-cured ham.
- Classifying hams based on pre-salting pH enables targeted processing modifications to enhance final product quality.
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