Effect of pasture on chestnut or acorn on fatty acid composition and aromatic profile of fat of Cinta Senese dry-cured ham

Summary. Effect of pasture on chestnut or acorn on fatty acid composition and aromatic profile of fat of Cinta Senese dry-cured ham. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pasture on oak and chestnut grove on chemical and aromatic traits of Cinta Senese cured ham. Fifteen Cinta Senese barrows (124 kg of l.w. on average) were allotted to three groups: one group (MI) was reared outdoors in confined area and fed commercial feedstuff. The other two groups were raised under free-range conditions on acorn (AC) or chestnut (CH) woods. At slaughtering (148 kg of l.w.) the right thighs were seasoned for 360 days, on average, to obtained cured hams. Results demonstrated that subcutaneous fat of ham of CH and AC groups, respect to CONC group, was the richest in MUFA (51.3 and 53.9 vs 49.5 % respectively), because of the higher content of oleic acid (48.4 and 50.8 vs 46.2 %, respectively). AC showed a lower percentage of PUFA than CH and CONC (13.8 vs 15.4 and 16.3 %, respectively). As regard volatile compounds, AC, respect to CH and MI groups, showed the highest value of aldehydes (44.1 vs 30.3 and 33.5 % respectively) and ethers (4.04 vs 1.15 and 1.71 % respectively). KEY-WORDS: Acorn – Aromatic compounds – Chestnut– Dry-cured ham – Fatty acids –Pigs