AIM: To produce a cured ham from Iberian pork legs in a new format, low in sodium and high in bioactive peptides. To achieve this, the traditional curing system will be improved, resulting in a piece of ham with a uniform shape, easy to slice, free of imperfections, and available in whole pieces, half pieces, quarters, eighths, and slices.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Cooperation project within the 2017 CHALLENGES-COLABORATION call.
AGREEMENTS: It is a four-year project developed through a collaboration between Aroma Iberica Serrana SL, the Metal Technology Center, and the University of San Antonio de Cartagena.
PHASES: Duration 35 Months (April 2018 and March 2021.)
2nd PHASE RESULTS:
During the second year, a bibliographic search continues on various process changes that could increase the ham's aroma and concentration of bioactive peptides. Studies are reviewed that accelerate ripening through proteolytic enzymes, changes in processing conditions, and increased temperature and humidity. Furthermore, the necessary techniques for physical, chemical, compositional, microbiological, and biochemical characterization are being finalized. The effectiveness of different processing conditions and salt combinations for producing boneless hams is being evaluated, and a new process has been designed in collaboration with the company, modifying the salting time, the granulometry and composition of the salt, the sodium content of the nitrifying salts, and the humidity and temperature during the drying and storage phases.
Within the development and validation of the new processing at the pre-industrial level, the following activities are carried out:
- Characterization of the salting process of boneless hams.
- Characterization of the post-salting stage. Effect of different processing conditions.
- Study of the influence of the new production process of a low-salt boneless Iberian ham on the nutritional, microbiological, and sensory characteristics of the final product.
Funded by:
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This project is funded by: FEDER/Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities-State Research Agency/Project RTC-2017-6319-1
Collaborators:
- AromaIbérica Serrana, SL
- Metal Technology Center of the Region of Murcia
- Ucam