title: Possible biological markers of the time of processing of dry-cured ham.
abstract: Several muscle compounds (creatine, creatinine, hypoxanthine, inosine, inosine 5' monophosphate, xanthine, adenosine monophosphate, guanosine, and uridine) were studied as possible biological markers of a minimum dry-cured ham processing time. A correlation between the concentration of the compounds and the time of processing was found. The ratios for some of them were calculated to study their behaviour during processing. The Hx/Ino ratio substantially increased up to 5 months of curing and then remained constant (p<0.05). The Hx/Ino ratio might be considered as a potential biomarker of the minimum time of dry-cured processing (5 months). The Cn/Cr ratio increased during drying up to 9 months of ripening (p<0.05). However, although Cn/Cr ratios remained constant after 9 months of processing, variations between hams were observed due to the differences existing in the raw meats and small differences in processing conditions, making it difficult to consider Cn/Cr ratios as biomarkers of ripening time.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (CSIC), Avenue Agustín Escardino, 7, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Escudero
authors.forename: Leticia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mora
authors.forename: M-Concepción
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Aristoy
authors.forename: Fidel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Toldrá
mesh_terms: D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D003401:Creatine / Q000032:analysis*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000032:analysis*; D003890:Desiccation / Q000379:methods*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods; D006151:Guanosine / Q000032:analysis; D019271:Hypoxanthine / Q000032:analysis; D007288:Inosine / Q000032:analysis; D008461:Meat Products; D013552:Swine; D014529:Uridine / Q000032:analysis; D019820:Xanthine / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D006151:Guanosine; D019820:Xanthine; D019271:Hypoxanthine; D000249:Adenosine Monophosphate; D007288:Inosine; D003404:Creatinine; D003401:Creatine; D014529:Uridine