Effect of intensifying high-temperature ripening on proteolysis, lipolysis and flavor of Jinhua ham

摘要

BACKGROUND: The flavor quality of dry-cured ham comes from proteolysis, lipolysis and lipid oxidation, Maillard reaction and Strecker amino acid degradation. Intense proteolysis, lipolysis and lipid oxidation make major contributions to flavor development of dry-cured ham. Increasing the temperature in fermenting and ripening could promote these reactions and accelerate flavor development in dry-cured hams. The specific aroma flavor of Jinhua ham is developed only during long-time high-temperature ripening in July and August. Our objective was to effectively shorten the process time by intense high-temperature ripening based on the flavor and quality features of traditional Jinhua ham.RESULTS: Muscle dehydration rate of 80-day ripened hams (29.43 pl 1.16%) was higher than that of the traditional process (P < 0.05). The total free fatty acids in ripened hams of 45-80 days were all higher than that of traditional hams (P < 0.05) and the level of TBARS was significantly lower (P < 0.01). The flavor profile of modern-processed hams was different from that of the traditional Jinhua ham. The contents of carboxylic acids and aldehydes were obviously higher than those of the traditional products (P < 0.05). The results of organoleptic evaluation for flavor and quality showed that 80-day ripened hams reached the first-grade level of traditional Jinhua ham.CONCLUSION: Long-time (25-30 days) intensifying high-temperature ripening (35-37 pC) could accelerate the proteolysis, lipolysis, lipids oxidation, flavor development and effectively shorten the process time based on the traditional flavor and quality features of dry-cured ham.