Modelling of salt uptake for salt content standardization in dry-cured ham

Abstract

Salt content standardization in dry-cured ham production is complex as there are many factors that influence salt uptake. The aim of this work was to study and model salt uptake as a function of salting time and the characteristics of green ham in two different ham types using a large amount of data obtained from an inline non-invasive characterization technology. The usefulness of these models to standardize the salt content of the industrial production was also evaluated. Magnetic induction technology was used to characterize lean and fatty hams in order to further model the salt uptake using different statistical methods. Salt content increased with the salting time showing an asymptotic behaviour which was lower in fatty hams. The best models were those that considered the salting time, weight, and fat content of hams as model independent variables. These models are helpful for salt content standardization within the industry and can be used to simulate process modifications and avoid the time-consuming and costly trial and error tests.

Keywords: Non-invasive technologies; Predictive models; Product standardization; Salting process modelling.