FLAVOR COMPOUNDS OF DRY-CURED HAM

Volatile compounds of dry-cured Parma ham, the most representative among those of Italian style, were extracted by means of the dynamic headspace technique followed by adsorption onto Tenax traps. GC-FID and GC-FPD were used to obtain the aromatic profiles of the samples; gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was also used to identify the structure of the volatile components. One hundred twenty-two compounds were identified in this study, several of which have not been previously reported. Hydrocarbons (22), aldehydes (16), alcohols (25), and esters (28) were the prevalent volatiles. The mechanism of formation of some classes of compounds is also discussed.