Chemical and lipid composition of deboned pieces of dry-cured pork forelegs as affected by desalting and boiling: The effects of vacuum packaging

The effects of desalting and boiling, with or without vacuum packaging, on the composition (mainly in relation to lipids) of the muscles of deboned pieces of dry-cured pork forelegs were investigated. The muscles of boiled, desalted, dry-cured foreleg pieces showed lower ash, chloride, nitrates and nitrites contents and higher protein contents than those of dry-cured forelegs. No significant changes were observed in lipid content and in lipid fraction proportions (glycerides, phospholipids and free fatty acids). The culinary treatment (desalting and boiling) caused a decrease of thiobarbituric acid values and an increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids proportions of the three fractions (glycerides, phospholipids and free fatty acids), especially at C-18:2 and C-20:4. Only the ash contents were significantly different between samples boiled with and without vacuum packaging.