EFFETTO DELL’AFFUMICATURA SULLE CARATTERISTICHE QUALITATIVE E MICROBILOGICHE DI PROSCIUTO CRUDO STAGIONATO

In this paper, the effect of smoking on qualitative and microbiological properties of dry cured hams has been studied. Results evidenced that smoking, still applied to a mild intensity, was able to induce some differences on quality characteristics of the cured hams compared with those produced from the same raw meat but not smoked. In the smoked product a higher moisture and lower salt content was observed in the Biceps femoris muscle. A higher concentration of unsaturated fatty acids in respect to the non-smoked product was also observed. This latter result, associated to a lower acidity index and peroxide value, could be attributed to the antioxidant properties of some smoke compounds. Smoking affected also the textural properties of the cured hams (i.e. hardness and elasticity) whilst no effect was observed on the colour. Limited differences were evidenced in the microbial quality of the differently treated hams apart from a significantly higher mesophylic count in the non-smoked ones. In the smoked products a higher concentration of biogenic amines and in particular of triptamine, 2-pheniletilamine and spermine was also observed. However, in all cases, the concentration of 2-pheniletilamine resulted below the toxicity limit (30 mg kg-1).[...