Dry-Cured Meat Products presents the latest developments in dry-cured meat products, from raw materials and manufacture to the final products, and includes updated scientific and technological information, especially on the safety, quality and nutritional properties of these foods.

Contents

Introduction: A Historical Perspective

• Historical developments
• Classification of cured meats

Description of Main Muscle Characteristics

• Muscle structure
• Muscle composition

Manufacturing of Dry-Cured Hams

• Ingredients and additives
• Traditional processing
• Modern processing technology
• Changes during dry-curing
• Moisture content and water activity
• Salt diffusion
• Color
• Textural properties
• pH
• Chemical changes
• Enzymatic reactions
• Main types of products
• Other dry-cured meat pieces: loins and shoulders
• Trends in accelerated processing of dry-cured hams

Principles of Dry-Fermented Sausage Making

• Ingredients and additives
• Starter cultures
• Casings
• Processing technology
• Changes during the processing
• Main fermented sausage varieties
• Trends in accelerated processing

Fermentation and Starter Cultures

• Microbiology of dry-fermented sausage
• Metabolism
• Starter cultures

Characterization of Proteolysis

• Proteolysis in dry-cured ham
• Proteolysis in dry-fermented sausages
• Metabolism of amino acids: amine generation

Characterization of Lipolysis

• Lipolysis in dry-cured ham
• Lipolysis in dry-fermented sausages
• Other enzymatic reactions

Flavor Development

• Generation of nonvolatile compounds
• Generation of volatile compounds
• Sensory characteristics
• Relation between sensory analysis and flavor

Nutritional Properties

• Proteins
• Lipids
• Vitamins
• Minerals

Effect of Raw Materials and Processing on Quality

• Importance of raw materials
• Influence of Formulations
• Importance of processing conditions

Main Defects and Preventive Measures

• Main defects in dry-cured hams and their causes
• Main defects in dry-fermented sausages and their causes

Safety Aspects

• Generic HACCP model for dry-cured hams
• Generic HACCP model for dry-fermented sausages

Economic and International Aspects

• Trends in world meat product consumption and production

Index

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