Nutritional and sensory quality of porcine raw meat, cooked ham and dry-cured shoulder as affected by dietary enrichment with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and α-tocopheryl acetate.

The effects of dietary enrichment of pig diets with DHA from a marine source (Algatrium(®)) and α-tocopheryl acetate on the nutritional and sensory characteristics of pork and pork products were evaluated. Raw and cooked hams, and dry-cured shoulders from pigs fed with three diets (control, control supplemented with 0.3% DHA plus 50ppm α-tocopheryl acetate and control with 200ppm α-tocopheryl acetate) were used. The treatments did not cause any significant differences in proteolytic and antioxidant enzyme activities, except on catalase (CAT) which increased significantly in raw hams from pigs fed DHA supplemented diets. Vitamin E accumulated in samples with α-tocopheryl acetate supplementation. DHA added to the diet increased the DHA level by 87% compared with the control treatment in both raw and dry-cured shoulders, and exceeded 82% in cooked hams. In consequence, the incorporation of the n-3 source in the diet significantly reduced the n-6/n-3 ratio in all products. The ratio reduction ranged from 51% in dry-cured shoulders to 65% in cooked and raw hams. No significant differences were found among treatments in the sensory parameters evaluated in the cooked hams. Fishy odour and flavour were not detected in any sample by the trained panel. However, reduced cured and aged flavours and a stronger fishy flavour were found in dry-cured shoulders from pigs on the DHA enriched treatment; while, α-tocopheryl acetate supplementation had negligible influence on flavour.