308 Chapter 16
cinnamaldehyde, menthol) derived from
spices; also, sulfur - compounds (methional,
dimethyl disulfi de, allyl isothiocyanate) and
a branched acid (3 - methyl - butanoic acid)
originated from the Strecker degradation of
amino acids (Guillard et al. 1997 ). However,
of the many volatile compounds detected,
none had an aroma similar to the aroma of
cooked ham.
On the other side, microorganisms do not
contribute to the desirable fl avor of cooked
ham as occurs in other meat products, such
as fermented sausages (Toldr á and Flores
2007b ). The contribution of microorganisms
to the fl avor of cooked ham is insignifi cant,
but they are responsible for acidifi cation and
formation of off - fl avors generally during
storage (Samelis et al. 1998 ). The refriger-
ated storage of sliced cooked ham under
vacuum or modifi ed atmospheres leads to
alterations in the sensory characteristics of
the product, such as color defects, off - odors,
and slime formation. Therefore, the refriger-
ated storage of cooked ham modifi es the
volatile composition due to the metabolism
of lactic acid bacteria that generates typical
fermentation products, such as methyl
branched alcohols and aldehydes (Leroy et
al. 2009 ). In addition, lipid oxidation is
another phenomenon that generates oxida-
tion products, such as unsaturated aldehydes
(De Winne and Dirinck 1997 ) that are not
present in fresh cooked ham.Safety Aspects
The use of nitrite in meat products, and there-
fore in cooked ham, is due to its antimicro-
bial effect, which prevents the growth of
Clostrodium botulinum ; in addition, nitrite is
responsible for the characteristic pink color
and prevents lipid oxidation, increasing meat
stability (Pegg and Shahidi 2000 ). However,
the post - heat handling of cooked ham is
essential to avoid recontamination, because
this will determine its shelf life. The slicing
of cooked ham prior to packaging recontami-of proteases, lipases are also inactivated
during cooking. It must be taken into account
that fatty acid composition is a key aspect in
fl avor generation. An excess of linoleic acid
may impart some off - fl avor during cooking.
Further chemical reactions (i.e., Maillard
reactions) are accelerated during cooking and
contribute to the generation of aroma volatile
compounds. The extent and characteristics of
fl avor will depend on the time and intensity
of heating.
Cooked ham has a highly appreciated
fl avor, which is mostly due to the processing
conditions, brining, and spices added. The
fl avor of cured cooked pork is completely
different from that of uncured cooked pork
(Ramarathnam et al. 1991, 1993 ) due to the
lower generation of carbonyl compounds in
cured cooked pork. However, no unique
compound has been identifi ed as responsible
for the characteristic cured aroma in cooked
ham. Therefore, the cured cooked aroma is
reported to be a mixture of many volatile
compounds. In this sense, the fl avor of
cooked ham was studied by the extraction
and identifi cation of its volatile compounds
(Baloga et al. 1990 ; De Winne and Dirinck
1997 ; Guillard et al. 1997 ; Leroy et al. 2009 ).
Although many volatile compounds such as
alkanes, alkenes, aldehydes, ketones, alco-
hols, aromatic hydrocarbons, carboxylic
acids, esters, terpenes, sulfur compounds,
furans, pyrazines, amines, and chloride have
been identifi ed, only a few of them directly
contribute to cooked ham aroma (Toldr á and
Flores 2007a ).
In order to determine the impact of a spe-
cifi c volatile compound on the total aroma, it
is necessary to study several factors, such as
odor threshold, concentration, interaction
with the food matrix, and temperature. The
contribution of the volatile compounds to the
aroma of cooked ham was studied through
olfactometry techniques (Guillard et al.
1997 ). Several compounds were described as
odor - active compounds in cooked ham, such
as terpenes (1,8 - cineole, linalool, L - carvone,