Evolution of fatty acids from intramuscular lipid fractions during ripening of Iberian hams as affected by α-tocopheryl acetate supplementation in diet

The influence of feeding Iberian pigs with and without α-tocopheryl acetate (α-TAc) on fatty acid composition of intramuscular lipids, throughout dry-cured ham maturation was investigated. Supranutritional levels of α-TAc (100 mg α-TAc/kg) increased α-tocopherol content in m. Semimembranosus in comparison to a basal diet containing 5 mg α-TAc/kg (Control: 6.38 vs. E-supplemented: 10.31 μg/g muscle dry matter). Fatty acid composition of lipids in the raw hams was similar whatever the level of vitamin E in the diet. Fatty acid composition of neutral lipids did not change much during ham maturation. In contrast, fatty acid content of polar lipids decreased considerably (∼90%) after 700 days of maturation. At the end of ripening (700 days), the contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids from neutral and polar lipids were significantly higher in hams from Iberian pigs fed on α-TAc-enriched diet than those fed with a basal diet. This result indicates that α-tocopherol-enriched diets maintain polyunsaturated fatty acids in neutral and polar lipid fractions of intramuscular fat in dry-cured hams from Iberian pigs.