A RESEARCH NOTE EVALUATION OF RESTRUCTURED LOW-FAT HAM CONTAINING WHEY

Restructured, low-fat boneless ham was formulated with 0 (control samples), 20, and 30% liquid whey to replace water in the cure formulation. Sensory characteristics, visual traits, objective color, tenderness measurements, weight and cooking loss, proximate analysis, and microbial load were determined to compare this product with that from a conventional cure formulation. No differences (P>0.05) in traits (except percentage moisture) were found among samples with 0, 20, and 30% liquid whey in the formulated hams. A lower (P 0.05) from those with 0 and 30%. These results suggest that up to 30% liquid whey may be incorporated in a cured, low-fat ham formulation with similar results to products cured with a conventional formulation.