The influence of meat pH on mechanical and sensory textural properties of dry-cured ham.

The texture of dry-cured ham is one of the most important factors in consumer quality perception of the product. In this study the texture and mechanical properties of normal and Dark, Firm and Dry (DFD) dry-cured hams were studied as well as the relationship between them. DFD hams were softer, pastier, more crumbly and more adhesive than normal ones despite having lower non-protein nitrogen (p<0.05). One of the reasons for the texture characteristics of DFD hams could be the higher level of moisture observed in the Biceps femoris muscle and the high pH value. The mechanical parameters studied also showed clear differences between the two groups of hams, specially in the inner part which was less affected by the drying process. In general the correlation coefficients between sensorial and mechanical parameters were not very high (0.23-0.62). The use of a non-destructive mechanical test, compressing the ham with a spherical probe, makes it possible for DFD hams to be detected in the earlier stages of the manufacturing process and means that technological changes can be made in order to reduce the problematic texture obtained from this kind of meat.