How do culinary methods affect quality and oral processing characteristics of pork ham?

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Sensory Science
• Meat Science

Background:

• Culinary methods significantly impact meat quality and consumer perception.
• Understanding oral processing is crucial for evaluating meat texture and eating experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effects of cooking, sous vide, and grilling on pork ham quality.
• To analyze instrumental and sensory oral processing characteristics of pork ham prepared using different methods.

Main Methods:

• Instrumental analysis of color and texture.
• Sensory evaluation by trained panelists including temporal dominance of sensations and bolus analysis.
• Analysis of particle size distribution and saliva incorporation.

Main Results:

• Sous vide resulted in lower hardness, cooking loss, number of chews, and total exposure time.
• Firmness and juiciness were dominant sensory attributes in sous-vide pork ham.
• Traditional cooking led to the highest hardness and cooking loss, with firmness and fibrousness being dominant.

Conclusions:

• Sous vide cooking optimizes pork ham texture and oral processing characteristics.
• Culinary methods significantly influence in-mouth sensations like juiciness, fibrousness, and firmness.
• Sous vide offers a superior method for preparing pork ham with enhanced quality and eating experience.