Perspectives in the Use of Peptidomics in Ham

The use of proteomics in food science has permitted both a better characterization of the food products and the control of their final quality despite the fact that food systems are under continuous changes during processing and consumption. Ham is a very popular meat product frequently consumed in Mediterranean countries after a dry-curing processing that results in the generation of large amounts of peptides that contribute to its texture, flavor, and final quality. Proteolysis is the main biochemical mechanism occurring throughout the dry-cured ham processing and a better knowledge of this phenomenon is essential to give an extra value to the product and produce regular batches. In this regard, peptidomics has become an important tool for the characterization of dry-cured hams in order to identify and quantify bioactive peptides and potential biomarkers, study their stability under processing conditions or gastrointestinal digestion, and search for post-translational modifications that could affect the quality of dry-cured hams. This manuscript is reviewing from the first uses of comparative proteomics in dry-cured ham approaches to the most modern peptidomic studies and their contribution to the advance in meat science.