Effect of fat content on aroma generation during processing of dry fermented sausages

Abstract

Dry fermented sausages with different fat contents were produced (10%, 20% and 30%). The effect of fat content and ripening time on sensory characteristics, lipolysis, lipid oxidation and volatile compounds generation was studied. Also, the key aroma components were identified using gas chromatography (GC) and olfactometry. High fat sausages showed the highest lipolysis and lipid oxidation, determined by free fatty acid content and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), respectively. A total of 95 volatile compounds were identified using SPME, GC and mass spectrometry (MS). Fat reduction decreased the generation of lipid derived volatile compounds during processing while those generated from bacterial metabolism increased, although only at the first stages of processing. The consumers preference in aroma and overall quality of high and medium fat sausages was related to the aroma compounds hexanal, 2-nonenal, 2,4-nonadienal, ethyl butanoate and 1-octen-3-ol which contributed green, medicinal, tallowy, fruity and mushroom notes.

Physicochemical and sensory properties of Celta dry-ripened “salchichón” as affected by fat content

“…The FFA percentage at day 0 in all batches showed the relationship MUFA>SFA>PUFA as previously observed by other authors (Olivares et al, 2011;Gómez and Lorenzo, 2013) and this relation was maintained during the ripening process. However, the PUFA content increased during the manufacturing process by approximately 7 times, whereas SFA increased by 5 times and MUFA by only 3.8 times.…”

“…These FFA amounts represented between 1-1.3% of the total fat content, similar in the three "salchichón" batches. Other authors, in analogous studies (Olivares et al, 2011;Lorenzo and Franco, 2012), also found a minor degree of lipolysis in reduced-fat sausages. At the end of the ripening, the main FFAs by order of amount were as follows: oleic, palmitic, linoleic and stearic acid.…”

“…A similar trend for TBARS was observed by Muguerza et al (2003), who reported higher TBAR values in low fat sausages which they attributed to the higher oxidation status of intramuscular fat whose percentages increased with the reduction in fat. However, some controversy exists regarding the lipid oxidation of fat-reduced fermented meat products, since several authors (Olivares et al, 2011;Gómez and Lorenzo, 2013) reached the opposite conclusion when studying the TBAR index of similar products.…”

“…Although the role of fat as a precursor of aromatic compounds is well known, there is controversy about how the fat content affects the volatile compounds and flavor. Olivares et al (2011) noticed an increase in the volatile compounds in sausages with higher fat content, while Muguerza et al (2003) concluded that sausages with a reduced fat content had a higher lipid oxidation and therefore had a higher content of volatile compounds.…”

Reducing the Levels of Sodium, Saturated Animal Fat, and Nitrite in Dry-Cured Pork Meat Products: A Major Challenge

“…From experiments on dried sausages in which fat content ranged between 10% and 30%, Olivares et al [58] found that the reduction in fat slowed lipolysis, lipid oxidation, and the ensuing formation of volatile compounds. Their results also showed that consumer acceptance was closely correlated with high fat levels and long ripening times.…”