Free amino acids and other non-volatile compounds formed during processingof Iberian ham

Fifty-five legs from Iberian pigs were traditionally processed into dry cur ed hams. Free amino acids and other non-volatile compounds in the water-sol uble fraction from the biceps femoris muscle were analyzed by HPLC. At the drying stage and in the last months in the cellar the largest increases in these water-soluble compounds took place. There was a clear influence on fr ee amino acid formation of salt content and on the formation of peptides of the temperature at each processing stage. As the amount of non-volatile co mpounds in the water-soluble fraction increases with processing time, their determination could provide a maturation index for Iberian ham. (C) 2001 E lsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.