title: Effect of fresh pork meat conditioning on quality characteristics of salami.
abstract: The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of pork meat conditioning under different relative humidity (RH) values on salami quality characteristics. During a 6days conditioning period at 0°C under two levels of RH (95% vs. 80%), meat pH and weight loss were measured. Salami characteristics (moisture, weight loss, texture, appearance properties) were evaluated during 20days of ripening. Results showed that conditioning at 80% RH yielded a significantly drier meat, being the weight loss rate 1.6 times higher than at 95% RH. The lower water content of meat allowed a shorter salami ripening phase, guaranteeing an appropriate weight loss and the development of the desired texture, while maintaining good appearance properties. The acceleration of this production phase represents a clear economic advantage for producers and consumers, leading to higher profit margins and lower retail prices. The possibility of using FT-NIR spectroscopy as a valid tool for the rapid evaluation of salami ripening was also demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: cristina.alamprese@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alamprese
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fongaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), Università degli Studi di Milano, via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernestina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casiraghi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003116:Color; D005511:Food Handling; D063427:Food Quality; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008461:Meat Products; D000069466:Red Meat; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D013552:Swine; D013649:Taste
keywords: Color; FT-NIR spectroscopy; Meat conditioning; Ripening; Salami; Texture