Food Biochemistry and Food Processing

330 Part III: Muscle Foods

at 14–18°C are more hydrolyzed than triacylglyc-
erols that are rich in saturated fatty acids such as
palmitic acid and are solid at those temperatures
(Coutron-Gambotti and Gandemer 1999). This means
that the physical state of the triacylglycerols would
increase the lipolysis rate by favoring the action of

lipases at the water-oil interface. The rate of release

of individual fatty acids is as follows: linoleicoleic

palmiticstearicarachidonic (Toldrá 1992).

The generation rate remains high up to 10 months of

processing, when the accumulation of free fatty

acids remains asymptotic or even decreases as a

Table 14.4.Chemical Factors Affecting Lipolytic Activity during Meat and Meat Product

Processing

Factor Typical Trend Effect on Lipolytic Enzymes

NaCl Low in aged meat No effect on enzyme activity

Medium concentration in cooked meat Partial inhibiton of neutral muscle lipase

products and esterases; adipose tissue lipases not

affected; activation of lysosomal acid

lipase and acid phospholipase

High concentration in dry-cured hams Slight activation of lysosomal acid lipase

and acid phospholipase

Nitrate and Concentration around 125 ppm in cured No significant effect

nitrite meat products

Ascorbic acid Concentration around 500 ppm in cured Slight inhibition of all lipolytic enzymes

meat products

Glucose Poor concentration in aged meat and No effect

dry-cured ham

High concentration (up to 2 g/L) in No effect

fermented meats

Figure 14.12.Example of the generation of some free fatty acids in the adipose tissue during the processing of dry-
cured ham. (Adapted from Motilva et al. 1993b.)