Correlations of Sensory and Volatile Compounds of Spanish “Serrano” Dry-Cured Ham as a Function of Two Processing Times

TLDR

Spanish “Serrano” dry‑cured hams are traditionally processed with two ripening‑drying durations, and the extended stage drives high production costs that reduce competitiveness. The study aimed to investigate how volatile compounds generate the flavor of dry‑cured ham. Sensory properties were evaluated using GC/olfactometry and descriptive sensory techniques. Factor analysis linked volatile components to four sensory descriptors—“pork,” “cured,” “pleasant,” and “off‑flavor”—showing that the short ripening stage produced fresh‑cured pork and pleasant aromas, while the longer stage increased pork, cured, and off‑flavor notes that masked the pleasant aroma. Keywords: Dry‑cured ham, ripening, volatile compound, pork flavor, aged flavor.

Abstract

Spanish "Serrano" dry-cured hams were processed under traditional practices which included two different length of the ripening−drying stage dry-curing methods. Dry-cured hams typically have high production cost because of the length of the ripening−drying stage which makes the product less competitive. In order to study the generation of dry-cured ham flavor the volatile components were investigated. Sensory properties were analyzed by GC/olfactometry and descriptive sensory techniques. The relationship of the volatile components with sensory descriptors was examined by factor analysis and resulted in a solution composed of four factors defined as "pork", "cured", "pleasant", and "off-flavor". The short ripening process was characterized by aldehydes, such as hexanal and 3-methyl butanal, alcohol (1-penten-3-ol), and dimethyl disulfide, that gave an olfactory sensation of fresh-cured pork flavor. The "pleasant" aroma in the short process had already been developed and was defined by ketones, esters, pyrazines, and aromatic hydrocarbons. On the other hand, the longer ripening−drying procedure produced an increase in "pork", "cured" and "off-flavor" that masked the "pleasant" aroma. Keywords: Dry-cured ham; ripening; volatile compound; pork flavor; aged flavor