Characterization of Italian dry-cured hams by means of sensory evaluation and innovative sensory-instrumental methods

Dry-cured ham is one of the most representative typical meat products in Italy. Despite this, few works which describe its sensory profile through a holistic approach are available in the literature. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to characterize dry-cured hams belonging to the three main Italian protected denominations of origin (Parma, San Daniele, Toscano) by means of sensory evaluation and innovative sensory-instrumental analyses. The sensory profiling method was applied to define the sensory attributes that best characterize commercial dry-cured hams purchased on the market. On the same samples, the aromatic components and visual attributes (i.e. morphological and chromatic characteristics) were evaluated by electronic nose and image analysis, respectively. A trained panel evidenced 14 descriptors covering appearance, aroma, taste, flavor and texture. Samples were well discriminated by most of the attributes. The Toscano ham was perceived as having the most fibrous, driest and hardest texture and as being characterized by high values of salty taste and pork-meat odor. Conversely, the San Daniele ham differed from the other two samples especially for appearance being the brightest and having the highest level of marbling and fat whiteness. According to sensory evaluation, the Toscano ham significantly differed from Parma and San Daniele hams for its higher NaCl content and its lower aw and moisture level. Sensory diversity was also confirmed by electronic nose sensors and image analysis results. Toscano hams were characterized by WS electronic nose sensors, colorimetric parameters and a high percentage of the fat area, whereas San Daniele hams were distinguished by WC electronic nose sensors, a high percentage of the lean area, the total section area and some instrumental variables (pH and aw). Parma hams were notably few clustered, thus their characterization was more difficult