Vtilizzo di carni con anomalie da stress nella tecnologia di preparazione del prosciutto cotto. interpretazione degli effetti prodotti sulla resa e sulle caratteristiche organolettiche con l'uso dell'analisi statistica multivariata

Pork legs were taken from 200 post-rigor normal or stress-sensitive pigs and subjected to different salting and cooking procedures. The combination of different tumbling techniques and raw material quality yields wide variations in the water binding capacity of the cooked system. These differences were found in the case of cooking programs involving a core endpoint of only 63°C but especially of those, more frequently used at an industrial level, with a core endpoint of 68°C. With the aid of multivariate statistical techniques, all data were projected onto the plane of two main components, obtained as linear combinations of the scores attributed to the sensory properties essentially related to WBC (water binding capacity) and consistency (PC1) and slice cohesion (PC2). Traditional cooking, which involves a core endpoint of 68°C gives, as was to be expected, products with lower yields and juiciness but better consistency and generally good binding properties. As to products cooked up to a core temperature of 63°C, slice cohesion is, generally, extremely low. Meats with evident PSE (pale, soft, exudative) characteristics give firmer products having better cohesion. When these meats are subjected to long tumbling times, finished products partially lose their firmness and show a low degree of cohesion between the muscles of the slices.