Volatile organic compounds of parma dry-cured ham as markers of ageing time and aged ham aroma

Extension of Parma ham ageing time resulted in several changes in volatile organic compounds in the ham headspace, enhancing signals for branched aldehydes/alcohols and ethanol/ethyl esters. the NaCl content of dry-cured hams was found to be positively related to volatile analytes with low solubility in dry muscle and molecules coming from lipid oxidation, but negatively to certain branched aldehydes originating from amino acids. In PLS regression relating volatile compounds to matured dry-cured ham aroma, branched aldehydes and several oxidation compounds were found to be influential in the sensory perception of matured ham odour. In this respect, oxidative mechanisms (lipid oxidation and oxidative degradation of amino acids) would seem to prevail over other biochemical pathways in increasing the odour of aged dry-cured ham. --Keywords: aged dry-cured ham odour, ageing time, volatile compounds, ethyl esters, oxidation compounds, salt--