EVOLUTION OF FREE AMINO-ACIDS AND AMINES DURING RIPENING OF IBERIAN CURED HAM

Fifty-eight hams were obtained from Iberian pigs and were traditionall y processed into dry cured products. Free amino acids and amines from semimembranosus and biceps femoris muscles were detected and quantifie d by HPLC. The larger increases of free amino acids took place in the drying cycle. Glutamic acid, alanine, leucine, and glycine were the fr ee amino acids present in higher quantities in the final product. The amines with higher concentrations were not in the toxic range. Most am ino acids increased according to their proportion in porcine skeletal muscle, except for some basic amino acids that may be involved in the formation of volatile compounds and amines.