The ability of peptide extracts obtained at different dry cured ham ripening stages to bind aroma compounds.

The ability of peptide extracts, obtained at different dry-cured ham ripening-stages, to bind volatile compounds has been examined using solid-phase microextraction and gas-chromatography. The peptide extracts from dry-cured ham were previously defatted and deodorised in order to be able to study peptide-volatile interactions. The binding effect of each peptide extracts to volatile compounds was analysed at different concentrations. In the presence of peptide extracts, a release was observed for ethyl butyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl 3-methylbutyrate and 3-methylthiopropanal. On the other hand, retention of about 20% and 30% was observed for 2-methylpropanal, hexanal and ethyl acetate while the highest interaction was observed for trimethylpyrazine. All peptide extracts did not exert any binding effect on 2-methylbutanal. No significant differences in binding-ability were detected for the peptides obtained at different ripening-stages; therefore, the binding-ability of peptide extracts was mainly based on volatile chemical characteristics and not on the type of peptide extract obtained.