Meat pH and meat fibre direction effects on moisture diffusivity in salted ham muscles dried at 5 °C

The effects of meat pH and meat fibre direction on the effective moisture diffusivity coefficient (D(e)) in salted ham muscles dried at 5 °C and 80% of air relative humidity were studied. Parallelepipedic meat samples from different muscles in the ham (Gluteus medius, Semimembranosus and Biceps femoris) were salted (0.08 kg NaCl/kg d.m.) and drying was only allowed through two faces of the sample by covering the other faces with PVC film. D(e) values were determined by Fick's 2nd law. D(e) parallel to the meat fibre direction in samples of Gluteus medius muscles was not affected by pH in the range 5.3-6.7. No significative differences in D(e) between the three muscles were detected (D(e) values ranged from 2.03×10(-11) to 2.55×10(-11) m(2)/s). D(e) perpendicular to meat fibre direction was 31% lower than D(e) parallel. The fibre direction effect was independent of the muscle.