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. 2025 Jul 15;14(14):2474.
doi: 10.3390/foods14142474.

Dry-Cured Bísaro Ham: Differences in Physicochemical Characteristics, Fatty Acid Profile and Volatile Compounds Between Muscles

Lia Vasconcelos  1   2 , Luís G Dias  1 , Ana Leite  1 , José M Lorenzo  3 , Alfredo Teixeira  1 , Sandra S Q Rodrigues  1 , Javier Mateo  2
Affiliations

Dry-Cured Bísaro Ham: Differences in Physicochemical Characteristics, Fatty Acid Profile and Volatile Compounds Between Muscles

Lia Vasconcelos et al. Foods. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acid profiles and volatile compounds of different muscle types (semimembranosus (SM), biceps femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (ST)) used to produce dry-cured Bísaro ham. Sixteen dry-cured hams were used. The physicochemical parameters were significantly affected by the muscle type, with the differences being mainly related to the different drying degrees and the intramuscular fat and collagen contents of the fresh muscles. Additionally, the type of muscle had a significant influence on the polyunsaturated fatty acids, such that the muscle with the highest fat content (ST) had the lowest PUFA content and vice versa. There were strong significant differences in the total content of volatile compounds derived from the Strecker reaction, which was higher in the ST muscle, and in the proportions of these compounds with different functional groups. The amount of sulfur compounds was also affected by the muscle type and was higher in the SM muscle. Due to the great impact of Strecker-derived and sulfur compounds on the flavor of the cured hams, these differences would affect the flavor perception of the different muscles. The variability between muscles in composition, fatty acids and volatile compounds allowed for discrimination of the samples by muscle type using multivariate analysis.

Keywords: Bísaro breed; dry-cured ham; fatty acid profile; muscle type; physicochemical characteristics; volatile compounds.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funder was not involved in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data or the decision to submit it for publication.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Image of the three muscles semimembranosus (SM), biceps femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (ST) in a dry-cured Bísaro ham.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Biplots of principal component analysis (PCA) of biceps femoris (BF) (red), semimembranosus (SM) (green) and semitendinosus (ST) (blue) muscles based on physicochemical characteristics and chemical composition, as well as fatty acid and volatile compound profiles.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Biplots of linear component analysis (LDA) of biceps femoris (BF) (red), semimembranosus (SM) (green) and semitendinosus (ST) (blue) muscles based on physicochemical characteristics and chemical composition, as well as fatty acid and volatile compound profiles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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