Microbiological and physico-chemical aspects in dry-salted Spanish ham

The main microbiological and physico-chemical parameters in dry-salted ham previously selected were determined during the elaboration process. All determinations were performed at 2 levels: surface and internal. The selected microbiological parameters were: total aerobes, halotolerant, lactic acid bacteria, yeasts and hazardous microorganisms. NaCl, nitrate, nitrite, water activity, moisture, pH, temperature and loss of weight were selected for the physico-chemical study. All microbial groups showed a similar behaviour, increasing along the first stages up to the third month of drying, then decreasing to numbers similar to the initial ones. Only the halotolerants maintained fairly high numbers during the last stages. Some groups were almost absent at internal levels. The hazardous bacteria showed different behaviour: whereas the faecal streptococci were fairly abundant during the whole study, coliforms almost disappeared at the final stages.