The effect of green ham quality on the technological, chemical and sensorial traits of dry-cured ham Kraški pršut

This work studies the relationship among raw material characteristics, such as green ham pH value, fat thickness, trimmed ham weight and the main technological, chemical and sensorial traits, in the production of dry-cured Kraški pršut. For the scope of the study a sample of 251 hams, supplied by two producers, was used. Trimmed ham weight, fat thickness and pH value of semimembranosus muscle (pH24) were recorded on green hams. On dry cured hams the following parameters were assessed: colour (CIE L*,a*,b*), intramuscular fat (IMF), proteolysis index, salt percentage, sensorial analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to assess the relationships among variables. Among green ham traits, pH24 affected the largest number of parameters measured on the dry-cured ham. Higher pH24 of green ham was associated with darker muscles of dry cured ham, lower salting and seasoning losses. Extreme values of pH24 were associated with the highest values of proteolysis index. As regards sensorial traits, harder and dryer texture was associated with the increase of pH24. Salt percentage was negatively associated with IMF. Fat thickness was negatively associated with salting and seasoning losses. No significant effect of green ham weight was found on any of the parameters considered in this study. As regards PCA analysis the first two components explained 34.5% of the variance. In the first one, trimmed weight, salting and seasoning losses, moisture of biceps femoris and semimembranosus muscles showed the highest loading values. In the second one saltiness, texture, IMF content, showed the highest loading absolute values.