Curing and diffusion coefficient study in pastırma, a Turkish traditional meat product

Changes in water activity (a(w)), moisture and salt contents and salt effective diffusion coefficients (D(eff)) of pastırma samples during the curing process were determined. At the end of the curing stage, a(w) values decreased to 0.942. The average initial moisture content of the samples decreased from 74.56% to 66.64%, depending on the curing time and the average salt content increased to 15.65 g NaCl/100 g dry matter at the end of the 48-hour curing process. Pastırma samples were assumed the geometry of endless slices, and the analytical solution of Fick's second equation was used for determination of salt D(eff) values. Salt D(eff) values were found to vary between 1.49×10(-9)-4.08×10(-9) m(2)/s.