Correlations among flavor compounds, lipid oxidation indices, and endogenous enzyme activity during the processing of Xinjiang dry-cured mutton ham

Mutton is widely consumed in China, European Mediterranean countries, and other regions around the world and is expected to gain popularity as an alternative to pork in dry-cured hams. Changes in the physicochemical indices, volatile compounds, and endogenous enzyme activities during the processing of dry-cured mutton ham were investigated. Eighty-six volatile compounds were identified during the dry-curing process, with aldehydes being dominant. Oxidation values increased significantly during dry-curing and decreased during ripening (p < .05). The activities of lipolytic enzymes remained active throughout processing, although the activities of the enzymes decreased. Lipoxidase activity increased rapidly during the fermenting stage and then decreased gradually during ripening (p < .05). Superoxide dismutase activity increased throughout processing, whereas the catalase activity decreased. According to partial least square variable importance in projection analysis, 49 odor-related compounds were selected from dry-cured mutton ham as specific compounds which are related to lipid oxidation and endogenous enzyme activities. Heatmap shows that the volatile compounds were correlated with enzyme activity and the oxidation value of dry-cured mutton ham during processing. Practical applications Xinjiang dry-cured mutton ham has an intense and a long-lasting aroma. Understanding the mechanism of aroma formation related to lipid oxidation could help us to improve the product quality and optimize the duration of processing. Therefore, the present work identified the characteristic flavor compounds and provided the changing regularity of these compounds at various stages to facilitate the generation of them.