Evolution in the shoulder composition of hairless Mexican pigs throughout the curing and drying processes

The objective of this study was to analyze the chemical composition changes of the shoulders of the Hairless Mexican pigs (HMP) throughout the curing and drying processes. Shoulder composition (% of fat, protein and ash) was evaluated for moisture, water activity (Aw), pH, nitrates and sodium chloride (NaCl). Results from this study were analyzed using a descriptive analysis. Dry-curing significantly decreased Aw (raw: 0.97±0.01, dry-cured: 0.87±0.01), % of moisture (raw: 50.75±1.16, dry-cured: 31.43±1.16), pH (raw: 6.11±0.04, dry-cured: 5.82±0.04), nitrates (raw: 54.26±3.22, dry-cured: 20.03±3.22) and % of ashes (raw: 10.00±0.41, dry-cured: 8.13±0.41) throughout the process. Percentage of NaCl (raw: 0.28±0.04, dry-cured: 0.72±0.04), of fat (raw: 17.46±1.50, dry-cured: 20.53±0.11) and protein (raw: 20.63±1.34 and dry-cured: 30.21±0.95) increased significantly. The low percentage of salt and moisture and the high percentage of fat found on the final HMP shoulders suggested that the dry-curing produced a highly palatable product.