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Ham (Jamón) is a product of great value in Spanish gastronomy, although experts have recommended reducing its consumption due to its high salt content and its relationship with cardio-vascular diseases due to the increase in blood pressure it may cause. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate how the reduction of salt content and the pig genetic line influence bioactivity in boneless hams. For this purpose, 54 hams were studied, 18 boneless Iberian hams (RIB), 18 boneless white hams from commercial cross-bred pigs (RWC), and 18 salted and traditionally processed Iberian hams (TIB) to check if the pig genetic line (RIB vs. RWC) or the processing (RIB vs. TIB) affect the peptide production and bioactivity of the hams. The pig genetic line significantly affected the activity of ACE-I and DPPH, with RWC having the highest ACE-I activity and RIB having the highest antioxidative activity. This coincides with the results obtained in the identification of the peptides and the bioactivity analysis performed. Salt reduction positively affected the different hams, influencing their proteolysis and increasing their bioactivity in traditionally cured hams.

“Cold, hot, as a snack, as a morning tapa, with onion or without, juicy or compacted (…) the Spanish omelette – with the blessing of the paella and the Iberian ham – (…) shines as our most universal dish”. Found in every bar of Spain and consumed in every household and in every region, the Spanish omelette (tortilla espanola or tortilla de patatas) has contributed to Spain’s nation-building since the late nineteenth century. Despite its humble origins – which initially slowed down its general praise and acceptance – nationalist elites and nation-state agents used the omelette to promote the “Spanishness” of the Spanish cuisine and to project an image of a highly diverse but united country. Yet, the role of the tortilla in the nation-building process has been largely dismissed by scholars. This article explores how nationalist ideologues have used the tortilla to foster and promote a specific conception of the “Spanish nation” and to overcome a series of obstacles that have hindered its nation-building process since the late nineteenth century. The exploration of the omelette’s uses advances visions of Spain’s nation-building process and its recent history.

Iberian ham is a food product of great quality endorsed by Protected Denominations of Origin, which is beginning to be marketed as a tourist product, and visits to pastures, ham dryers, etc., are becoming tourist attractions in the rural areas of Andalusia. In this research, a factor analysis with VARIMAX rotation is carried out to determine the factors that influence the development of ham tourism. Five components are determined, of which the supply factor is one of the most important. Pull factors are highlighted as the local gastronomy and heritage, among others, and push factors include visiting dryers, pastures, and ham museums. Based on these results and the descriptive analysis of the profile of the ham tourist, it is found that the ham tourist is very satisfied with the visit made, and that the tourist would repeat the experience. However, it is observed that it is necessary to create routes combined with other better known gastronomic products, such as wine, and carry out marketing campaigns to publicize this tourist product in the national and international market, because at present it is local tourists who perform this type of tourism.

When assessing meat, consumers use a large number of perceived and objective quality cues. This study analyses consumers’ preferences for perceived and objective quality cues in traditional meat products, focusing on several cues largely unstudied to date. It relies on a labelled discrete choice experiment administered to consumers of Iberian ham, an archetypal traditional Spanish meat product. The results indicate that the feeding-and-management system (acorn-fed or fodder-fed) generally determines the consumers’ preferences, with objective quality cues (breed purity and slicing type) influencing preferences regardless of the management system and perceived quality cues linked to the high-natural-value production agrosystem of the Dehesa only doing so for the acorn-fed system. There is a high degree of heterogeneity among consumers’ preferences, especially for the agrosystem of origin, suggesting that campaigns to raise awareness about the associated environmental and sociocultural values and a package design referencing the agrosystem are useful business strategies to integrate this added value into the product.Highlights Objective quality and agrosystem of origin largely determine consumers’ WTP Written and graphic information on the agrosystem of origin (Dehesa) influences WTP Environmental awareness campaigns and suitable package design are highly recommendable

Evaluation of dry-cured Iberian ham quality is carried out by means of the sense of smell of experts and a percentage of these hams are discarded due to odour defects. However, hams in cellars cannot be altered by sampling because they would be devaluated, which makes instrumental analysis difficult. Thus, the aim of this work is to assess the potential of headspace gas chromatography coupled to ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) or mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) to discriminate defective Iberian hams using a non-destructive sampling. Fifty hams from pigs fed with acorns were sampled in a real industry setting and were classified according to their condition (defective or non-defective). Validated classification rates of 80% and 100% using partial least squares discriminant analysis were obtained with HS-GC-IMS and HS-GC-MS, respectively, demonstrating the potential of the instrumental methods tested, which can be seen as complementary to the traditional olfactory technique. Furthermore, the volatile profile of spoiled Iberian hams was also determined; on average, spoiled pieces showed higher values of nonanal and decanal. Besides that, formic acid was only detected in spoiled pieces. These results might lead to an easier discrimination of spoilage to guarantee the quality of Iberian hams on the market. FEDER Andalucía 2014–2020 [project reference 1261925-R, 2018] España Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación Doctorado Industrial programme [grant reference DI-17-09645, 2017]

The number of representative samples to build a calibration model plays a major role in the success of chemometric models for class discrimination; therefore, knowing which samples should be used for the calibration of prediction models is essential. The aim of this work is to design a basic guideline for the training of partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models to classify complex samples analysed by Gas Chromatography (GC) coupled to Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) using dry-cured Iberian ham as an example. The effect of the number, proportion and class of samples for training and validation and the use of two data types (spectral fingerprint or pre-selected markers) has been assessed by analysing with GC-IMS nearly 1000 dry-cured Iberian ham samples obtained from 7 different curing plants. Subsequently, these were classified with PLS-DA according to the pig’s feeding regime (acorn-fed vs. feed-fed) and it has been demonstrated that 450 out of 997 samples are enough for model training to achieve a maximum average prediction accuracy rate. Furthermore, the use of preselected GC-IMS markers provides slightly better prediction results than the use of the complete spectral fingerprint. In summary, these results represent a tentative guide for the classification of samples in an industrial setting using GC-IMS and PLS-DA. This methodology would allow authorities and producers to ensure the quality of the agri-food products put on the market as is proven in this study

Córdoba, provincia situada en el sur de España, cuya capital cuenta con 4 declaraciones patrimonio de la Humanidad, es una ciudad patrimonial, donde el turismo cultural es uno de los principales motores de la economía, que se ha visto gravemente afectado por la pandemia del COVID 19, sin embargo, la provincia vive principalmente de la agricultura y la ganadería, siendo la actividad turística un complemento de rentas a la actividad fundamental del sector primario. Entre las principales actividades turísticas que puede realizar la persona que visita la provincia estaría el turismo rural, el turismo activo, el turismo cultural y el turismo gastronómico. Cada año miles de personas visitan la provincia para degustar los platos típicos cordobeses como el rabo de toro, el flamenquín, el salmorejo etc.., siendo sus recetas de la época árabe y judía, estando elaborados con materias primas de primera calidad como el aceite, el jamón o el vino avaladas por denominaciones de origen Protegidas (DOP) que certifican la calidad de esos productos. No obstante, a pesar de contar con estos tres productos culinarios la demanda de turistas sigue siendo baja, si se compara con otros destinos gastronómicos, de ahí surge la inquietud de analizar ¿qué es lo que ocurre con el turismo gastronómico de Córdoba? ¿Por qué está todavía en fase de despegue a pesar de los años que lleva ofertándose y contar con 7 DOP? Para dar respuesta a esta pregunta se han analizado las DOP del aceite, el vino y el jamón de la provincia de Córdoba, estudiando tanto el perfil de la demanda como la oferta existente relacionada con cada producto gastronómico, se ha realizado una comparativa de perfiles de turistas gastronómicos para cada producto, por si se han de realizar campañas de marketing diferentes en base a los perfiles de los turistas. La novedad de este trabajo de investigación es que analiza toda la oferta gastronómica asociadas a las Denominaciones de Origen Protegidas de Córdoba, los estudios que existen se basan en materias primas concretas y no de todas, ni su comparativa, además se proponen unas estrategias para mejorar este segmento turístico. Para analizar lo anteriormente mencionado se ha utilizado estadística descriptiva univariante y bivariante para ver el grado de asociación entre variables, así como el análisis de componentes principales para ver qué factores influyen el turismo gastronómico especialmente en el aceite de oliva, que es el elemento por excelencia que identifica a la agricultura de Córdoba, también se han aplicado modelos SARIMA, para prever la demanda futura de turistas gastronómicos de vino y jamón, dándonos una visión de la potencial demanda, la cual crecerá pero no a niveles tan rápidos como está ocurriendo con el turismo rural tras la pandemia. Para mejorar dichas cifras se proponen una serie de estrategias para que el crecimiento de la demanda de turismo gastronómico en Córdoba sea a superior a lo previsto. Para que Córdoba sea un destino gastronómico reconocido a nivel internacional, no solo hace falta tener buenas materias primas y platos exquisitos, se debe dar a conocer en los mercados internacionales y este trabajo pretende ser una radiografía de la situación de dicho segmento que ayude a organismos públicos y empresas privadas a unir esfuerzos y corregir los errores detectados. La unión de sinergias entre todos hará de Córdoba un destino gastronómico de calidad. Cordoba, a province located in the south of Spain, whose capital has 4 World Heritage declarations, is a heritage city, where cultural tourism is one of the main engines of the economy, which has been severely affected by the COVID 19 pandemic, however, the province lives mainly from agriculture and livestock, being the tourist activity a complement of income to the fundamental activity of the primary sector. Among the main tourist activities that can be carried out by visitors to the province are rural tourism, active tourism, cultural tourism and gastronomic tourism. Every year thousands of people visit the province to taste the typical Cordovan dishes such as oxtail, flamenquín, salmorejo, etc., being their recipes from the Arab and Jewish period, being elaborated with first quality raw materials such as oil, ham or wine endorsed by Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) that certify the quality of these products. However, despite having these three culinary products, tourist demand is still low compared to other gastronomic destinations, hence the concern to analyze what is happening with gastronomic tourism in Cordoba? Why is it still in the take-off phase despite the years it has been offered and having 7 PDOs? To answer this question, we have analyzed the PDOs of oil, wine and ham in the province of Cordoba, studying both the profile of the demand and the existing offer related to each gastronomic product. We have made a comparison of the profiles of gastronomic tourists for each product, in case different marketing campaigns have to be carried out based on the profiles of the tourists. The novelty of this research work is that it analyzes the entire gastronomic offer associated with the PDO's of Cordoba, the existing studies are based on specific raw materials and not all of them, nor their comparison, and strategies are proposed to improve this tourist segment. To analyze the aforementioned, univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics have been used to see the degree of association between variables, as well as principal component analysis to see what factors influence gastronomic tourism, especially olive oil, which is the element par excellence that identifies the agriculture of Cordoba. SARIMA models have also been applied to forecast the future demand for gastronomic tourists for wine and ham, giving us a vision of the potential demand, which will grow but not at such rapid levels as is happening with rural tourism after the pandemic. In order to improve these figures, a series of strategies are proposed so that the growth in demand for gastronomic tourism in Cordoba is higher than expected. For Cordoba to be an internationally recognized gastronomic destination, it is not only necessary to have good raw materials and exquisite dishes, it must also be made known in international markets and this work aims to be an x-ray of the situation of this segment that will help public bodies and private companies to join forces and correct the errors detected. The union of synergies among all will make Cordoba a quality gastronomic destination.

This article belongs to the Topic Applied Sciences in Functional Foods., Iberian ham is one of the most representative Spanish products and presents an excellent nutritional and sensory quality. Iberian ham trimming fat is considered a by-product and to give a new use to this remaining part could represent a healthy and innovative option for obtaining sustainable foods. The purpose of this work was to obtain a new bioactive ingredient from Iberian ham trimming fat with the highest amount of antioxidants and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), using a new non-invasive solvent-free method. To obtain the essence, two different extraction procedures were carried out. After fatty acid characterization, degree of acidity, peroxide index and a basic sensory analysis were performed. Antioxidant in vitro activity and total phenolic compounds (TPC) were also determined. This new ingredient showed a better sensory profile than raw ham fat, a lower degree of acidity, a higher content of MUFAs, and also showed a higher antioxidant capacity and an increase in phenolic compounds compared to the raw material. This bioactive essence could be used as a food, a cosmetic or a nutraceutical ingredient to prevent certain diseases related to oxidative stress and could also contribute to the maintenance of the circular economy., This research and the APC was funded by a grant from Cárnicas Joselito S.A, Guijuelo, Spain.

Traveling to learn about the gastronomy of a destination is becoming increasingly important among tourists, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Quality foods endorsed by protected designations of origin (PDOs) are increasingly in demand, as are experiences related to their production processes. In this study, the seven PDOs in the province of Córdoba (Spain) are analyzed. These PDOs produce olive oil, wine or ham. A field study was performed, whereby 315 gastronomic tourists who visited a gastronomic route or a PDO in Córdoba were surveyed. The objective was to characterize the profile of visiting tourists and to anticipate future demand using ARIMA models. The results indicate that the growth in gastronomic tourism in Córdoba is lower than that in the wider region, and that there are no significant differences among the different profiles (oil tourist, enotourist and ham tourists) due in part to the fact that most tourists travel from nearby regions. The novelty of this study is that three products are analyzed, and strategies are proposed to deseasonalize this type of tourism, for example, by creating a gastronomic brand that represents Córdoba and selling products under that brand (especially in international markets), by highlighting raw materials and prepared dishes and by making gastronomy a complement to heritage tourism in the city and rural tourism in the province.

Artikkelen er en kritisk lesning av tekster og bilder på internett av griser av den såkalte iberiske rasen som beiter i eikeskogene i Spania. Den iberiske svinekjøttindustrien har vokst raskt siden århundreskiftet, og den høyeste kvaliteten av skinker spekes fra griser som fetes opp på eikenøtter i skogen i minst i to måneder før de slaktes. Veksten i næringen sammenfalt med utviklingen av World Wide Web 2.0, og spekeindustriens interesser preger fortellingene om skogsbeitene på nettet. I tekst og bilder fremstilles beitemarkene som den iberiske grisens opprinnelige og naturlige habitat, og relasjonen mellom grisen og eika, mediert gjennom nøttene, fremmes som den dominerende relasjonen i beitet. Følgelig settes mange andre arter og mangfoldet av relasjoner som konstituerer skogsbeitene til side eller utenfor fortellingene. Den kritiske lesningen er gjort fra en flerartsantropologi og bekrefter enkelte fellestrekk ved fortellinger om domestisering og menneskelig utvikling som antroposentrismer og jordbruk som vendepunkt. I artiklene argumenteres det imidlertid for at fortellingene om skogsbeitene representere en spesifikk konfigurasjon av mennesket som naturens mester. Menneskene forestilles som voktere av naturlige arter og som foredlere av naturlige prosesser. Som foredlere av naturlige prosesser skaper de økologisk bærekraftig vekst for alle arter, nærmest som en skogbeitenes «usynlig hånd». I tillegg viser artikkelen fra et historisk perspektiv at artenes relative posisjon i det sosioøkologiske systemet skogsbeitene utgjør, endrer seg kontinuerlig over tid og at grisens signifikante posisjon i dag er nyvunnen og unik. Åpen tilgang Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This paper explores the multifractal features of different commercial designations of Iberian ham (acorn 100% Iberian ham, acorn Iberian ham, feed/pasture Iberian ham and feed Iberian ham). This study has been done by taking as input the fatty infiltration patterns obtained from digital image analysis of ham cuts comparing mechanic and manual slicing. The yielded results show the multifractal nature of fatty connective tissue in Iberian ham, only when knife cutting is applied, confirming the differences between the designations according to their genetics and feeding. Thus, the multifractal parameters presented in this work could be considered as additional information for checking Iberian ham quality by using non-destructive methods based on the combination of image analysis and predictive techniques. Meat industry can take advantage of these methods to evaluate meat products, especially when fat-connective tissue with complex pattern distribution is involved.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate for the first time the effect of a rice bran extract based-active packaging with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, high pressure processing (HPP) (600 MPa, 7 min), storage time (1, 90, and 180 days) and temperature (4 vs 20 °C) on the volatile compounds of sliced “Montanera” Iberian ham. The active packaging affected a quarter of the compounds, with a trend similar (although to a greater extent) to the one resulting from the HPP. The active packaging provided no clear advantages or serious drawbacks. The slight effect of the high pressure processing indicates that “Montanera” products might be more resistant to HPP-induced changes than other dry-cured hams. Regarding storage, despite the marked effect of time (30 out of 38 compounds), the temperature only influenced two compounds. This weak effect raises the possibility of storing and distributing this vacuum-packaged sliced product at room temperature.

Taking into account that in the literature on pork-production Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) there are a few studies about the Iberian pig, the present article evaluates an extensive (growing-fattening) Iberian-pig system in Spain, producing meat for Iberian ham and other quality-labelled products. The study has been based on Cumulative Energy Demand (CED), Global Warming Potential (GWP), ReCiPe (midpoint; endpoint) and USEtox (human toxicity; ecotoxicity). The analysis involves feed (for pigs and piglets), transportation, drinking water, straw usage and building materials (concrete). The impacts have been evaluated per kg of live or carcass weight (two functional units). The results show that the total impacts (per kg of live or carcass weight) range from: 1) 22.05 to 28.19 MJprim (CED), 2) 4.37 to 6.19 kg CO2.eq (GWP 20a, 100a and 500a), 3) 0.86 to 1.08 Pts (ReCiPe endpoint single-score, involving Human health, Ecosystems and Resources), 4) 9.9 × 10−6 to 1.2 × 10−5 DALY (ReCiPe endpoint with characterisation), 5) 2.8 × 10−7 to 3.5 × 10−7 (species.yr) (ReCiPe endpoint with characterisation), 6) 10.12 to 12.66 CTUe (USEtox: ecotoxicity). Overall, the results show that the feed for the pigs is responsible for the major part of the environmental impacts. More analytically, maize and soya are the components with the highest environmental impacts due to factors such as transportation, use of fertilisers and diesel fuel. The discussion about pig-production environmental impacts and the role of extensive pig farming is enriched with comparisons with the literature on pig-production LCA. Critical parameters are identified and discussed, with the aim of proposing solutions to reduce pork-production environmental impacts. Finally, the usefulness of the present study and future prospects are presented.

Dry-cured Iberian ham is officially classified into different commercial categories according to the pig’s breed and feeding regime. These reach very different prices, thus promoting labelling fraud and causing great damage to the food sector. In this work, a method based on Raman spectroscopy was explored as a rapid in situ screening tool for Iberian ham samples. A total of 110 samples were analyzed to assess the potential of this technique to differentiate purebred, crossbred, acorn-fed and feed-fed dry-cured Iberian ham. A continuous signal probably due to sample fluorescence was obtained, which hid the Raman scattering signal. Therefore, chemometric treatment was applied in order to extract non-apparent information. High validated classification rates were obtained for feeding regime (83.3%) and breed (86.7%). In addition, an interlaboratory study was carried out to confirm the applicability of the method with 52 samples, obtaining a validated rate above 80%.

This text delves into the elements on which the notion of quality of a product is built. We believe that, in addition to the standards that regulate a given quality seal, there are other elements that consumers link to the excellence that distinguishes them. In order to deepen these notions, we have chosen two localised agri-food systems (LAS), the first case corresponds to Iberian acorn-ham from Spain and the second to chorizo from Toluca in Mexico. We resorted to a mixed methodology by combining quantitative and qualitative techniques whereby a study of those food systems in two different socio-political contexts was approached. This methodology has allowed us to identify the importance of informal instruments, based not only on institutionalised certification, but on informal mechanisms such as trust and proximity between producers and consumers. The results of this study show how the food quality categories may be guided from various logics depending on the context, categories, and sort of stakeholders involved. Finally, we propose a categorisation of food quality based on the conceptual framework of trust. This categorisation allows the Geographical Indications (GIs) valorisation initiatives to visualise the elements on which they can be guided to work with the different qualities in their LAS.

La Sierra de Huelva es una comarca despoblada y envejecida, en la que dominan las actividades tradicionales, entre las que destacan la cría del cerdo ibérico en la dehesa y su industria asociada, que ha conformado Sistemas Productivos Locales no deslocalizables. Desde finales del siglo XX se han producido cambios importantes en esta industria, debidos a dinámicas internas y externas, que van a incidir en cambios productivos, organizativos, en la distribución y comercialización y la calidad del producto. Utilizando como fuente bases de datos oficiales y privadas para 2002 y 2020, se realizan comparaciones para establecer las causas, las transformaciones y sus consecuencias. Los principales resultados obtenidos señalan a cambios, con una tendencia a (1) la concentración empresarial y territorial y (2) la polarización del sector entre grandes empresas foráneas y pequeñas empresas tradicionales locales, a la vez que aparece una especialización productiva, en productos estandarizados y productos de calidad., The Sierra de Huelva is a depopulated and an ageing region where traditional activities particularly Iberian Pig breeding in the dehesa and the associated industries dominate. Accordingly, these processes have contributed to the formation and the embedness of the so-called Local Production Systems in these territories. Since the end of the 20th century, both internal and external dynamics have contributed to the significant changes in the industry which have accordingly affected productivity, organisation of the processes, distribution and marketing activities as well as product quality itself. Based on the information available in official and private databases from 2002 until 2020, the in-depth comparative analysis was carried out to identify these transformations in the industry as well as to outline their causes and the consequences. As the main results suggest, once the product specialisation is established in terms of product standartisation and quality, the processes of (1) the territorial and business concentration and (2) the polarisation of the sector between large foreign companies and small traditional local enterprises have become evident.

Infection with Toxoplasma gondii in humans has usually been related to the consumption of raw, undercooked or cured meat. Our study is based on the detection of T. gondii in cured legs and shoulders made from 100% Iberian sows fed mainly with acorn and raised as outdoor livestock in Aracena (Spain), which having been elaborated following a specific curing process (time period and location). An outdoor farm with a total of 636 animals was studied, showing a seroprevalence of 10% for the parasite T. gondii. Twenty individuals were chosen to be experimentally infected and slaughtered 60 days post-infection. Their legs and shoulders were processed to make 100% Iberian ham legs and shoulders. The meat ready to be eaten was analyzed by quantification and viability assays using magnetic capture real-time qPCR and bioassay techniques proving that this specific traditional "Cinco Jotas" curing process 100% Iberian ham is strong enough to eliminate the parasite T. gondii, resulting in a safe product for consumers.

A medida que avanzan los estudios sobre el polisémico ámbito de la alimentación humana, resulta más necesario considerar mayor número de variables para analizar con solvencia el hecho alimentario. Más allá de los estudios sobre las fases de producción y distribución, nuestra propuesta se centra en la fase del consumo y trata de identificar los elementos que explican por qué las sociedades seleccionan y prefieren unos alimentos en detrimento de otros. Actualmente, la selección alimentaria está intrínsecamente presente en el hecho alimentario de las sociedades modernas, relegando a un segundo plano los factores biológicos y fisiológicos, en relación a parámetros dominantes comparados con el placer, la salud y la sociabilidad. Mediante una combinación de técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas, este estudio propone la relevancia de dimensiones como el placer y la salud como elementos que guían a los consumidores para elegir un determinado producto gourmet, como es el caso del jamón ibérico en España., Esta investigación es el resultado del proyecto I+D (CSO2013-42468-P) del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad Las marcas de calidad en el mundo rural: nuevos retos para productores y consumidores.

Iberian dry-cured ham is an important meat product with high consumption worldwide. The special ecological conditions occurring throughout its ripening favour surface colonisation of filamentous fungi. Normally, moulds contribute to the development of the sensory qualities of the ham; however, some toxigenic species, such as Penicillium nordicum, are able to successfully adapt to the NaCl-rich environment found in dry-cured ham and produce ochratoxin A (OTA) in this product. Moreover, it was suggested that the biosynthesis of OTA by P. nordicum itself may support the adaptation to this food environment. However, this mechanism has not been completely elucidated yet. The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of different concentrations of commercial OTA (cOTA, at 0, 0.2, 1 and 5 ppb) on growth rate, biosynthetic- and stress-related gene expression and OTA production by two P. nordicum strains (Pn15 and Pn69) on dry-cured ham based-media. Two NaCl conditions (0% and 10%) were evaluated for each cOTA level. In general, no intra-strain and inter-strain differences in growth rates were found among the conditions tested. The stress-related Hog1 gene expression of the strain Pn15 was affected by cOTA and NaCl concentration whilst the strain Pn69 was not affected by these variables. The expression of OTA-related otapks and otanps genes of the strain Pn15 was affected by several NaCl and cOTA combinations. However, the strain Pn69 showed no differences in relative gene expression. Regarding to OTA production, different behaviours were displayed by the two strains. The strain Pn15, which produced high OTA amounts by itself, produced OTA without the necessity of the presence of NaCl or cOTA as stressors. However, the presence of cOTA triggers OTA production by the weak OTA producing Pn69 in the absence of NaCl. In addition, although a moderate correlation was found between the expression of the OTA-related genes and mycotoxin produced by P. nordicum in the absence of NaCl, none was obtained between Hog1 gene expression and mycotoxin production. This study is a step forward for a better understanding of the ability of P. nordicum producers of OTA to colonise NaCl-rich habitats such as Iberian ham for proposing actions to minimise OTA contamination in this meat product. Fil: Delgado, Josué. Universidad de Extremadura; España Fil: Da Cruz Cabral, Lucía Mariana. Universidad de Extremadura; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina Fil: Rodríguez, Mar. Universidad de Extremadura; España Fil: Rodríguez, Alicia. Universidad de Extremadura; España

The data obtained with a polar or non-polar gas chromatography (GC) column coupled to ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has been explored to classify Iberian ham, to detect possible frauds in their labelling. GC-IMS was used to detect the volatile compound profile of dry-cured Iberian ham from pigs fattened on acorn and pasture or on feed. Due to the two-dimensional nature of GC-IMS measurements, great quantities of data are obtained and an exhaustive chemometric processing is required. A first approach was based on the processing of the complete spectral fingerprint, while the second consisted of the selection of individual markers that appeared throughout the spectra. A classification rate of 90% was obtained with the first strategy, and the second approach correctly classified all Iberian ham samples according to the pigs' diet (classification rate of 100%). No significant differences were found between the GC columns tested in terms of classification rate.

Evaluation of dry-cured Iberian ham quality is carried out by means of the sense of smell of experts and a percentage of these hams are discarded due to odour defects. However, hams in cellars cannot be altered by sampling because they would be devaluated, which makes instrumental analysis difficult. Thus, the aim of this work is to assess the potential of headspace gas chromatography coupled to ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) or mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) to discriminate defective Iberian hams using a non-destructive sampling. Fifty hams from pigs fed with acorns were sampled in a real industry setting and were classified according to their condition (defective or non-defective). Validated classification rates of 80% and 100% using partial least squares discriminant analysis were obtained with HS-GC-IMS and HS-GC-MS, respectively, demonstrating the potential of the instrumental methods tested, which can be seen as complementary to the traditional olfactory technique. Furthermore, the volatile profile of spoiled Iberian hams was also determined; on average, spoiled pieces showed higher values of nonanal and decanal. Besides that, formic acid was only detected in spoiled pieces. These results might lead to an easier discrimination of spoilage to guarantee the quality of Iberian hams on the market.

Digital images of food for later analysis tend to be heterogeneous in terms of color and luminosity. Improving these images by using filters is necessary and crucial before further processing. This paper compares the non-use of filters and the use of high-pass filters in the images of hand-cut Iberian ham that will be used in a multifractal analysis for the study of fat and its infiltration. The yielded results show that with the use of a high-pass filter, more accurate fractal dimensions were obtained, which can be featured in predictive techniques of Iberian ham quality.

The potential of headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) to perform non-targeted qualitative analysis of complex samples has led to an unprecedented increase in its popularity in recent years. The operating principle of IMS makes quality control essential to ensure adequate results. Besides this, the suitability of GC-IMS is determined by multiple phenomena that take place before and during IMS detection. The present work discusses a novel GC-IMS quality control protocol for both beginners and experienced users. Likewise, it describes factors that must be taken into account in order to develop a robust GC-IMS qualitative analysis method and, if needed, to achieve the identification of VOCs present in real samples. The developed quality control protocol was successfully employed in our laboratory for the routine analysis of >500 real samples (olive oil and Iberian ham) for 6 months, thus it is recommended for the analysis of a great number of complex samples. Furthermore, the behaviour of the ions produced in the ionisation chamber and the possible reactions between them in GC-IMS qualitative analysis were assessed.

El municipio de Jabugo es uno de los más importantes en la transformación del cerdo ibérico. En las últimas décadas el sector ha sufrido una transformación, con procesos de concentración, relocalización y posicionamiento entre sus empresas. Como resultado de ello, las grandes industrias han salido fortalecidas, y la Denominación de Origen Protegida “Jabugo” aparece como una oportunidad para el sector. The municipality of Jabugo is one of the most important in the transformation of the Iberian pork. In the last decades, the industry has undergone a transformation, with processes of concentration, relocation and positioning among the companies in the industry. As a result, large companies have been strengthened, and the Protected Designation of Origin “Jabugo" emerges as an opportunity for the sector.

Salt content analysis is needed to ensure a healthy level of sodium in foods. In Iberian hams, this is laborious, time consuming and destructive analysis. This study proposes the use of an active contour algorithm combined with computational textures on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to analyze salt diffusion in Iberian hams in a non-destructive way. Data mining techniques (OneR, J48 decision tree, and multiple linear regression) were tested for i) classifying ham muscles and processing stages as a function of salt diffusion and ii) predicting salt content. The proposed methods are useful to differentiate the images of different muscles and stages of processing. For classification purposes, the best procedure is applying the J48 decision tree on the Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix (GLCM) method (77.88–79.21% of correct classification). For predicting salt content, the application of multiple linear regression on GLCM methods is accurate (R 2 = 0.972–0.994 and MAE = 0.007–0.044). Then, MRI, computational algorithms and data mining allow determining salt diffusion in Iberian hams in a non-destructive way.

Computer vision algorithms and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have been proposed to obtain quality traits of Iberian hams, due to the non-destructive, non-ionizing and innocuous nature of these approaches. However, all the proposals have been based on high-field MRI scanners, which obtain high quality images but also involve very high economical costs. In this paper, low-field MRI devices and three classical texture algorithms were used to predict quality traits of Iberian ham. Prediction equation of quality features were obtained, which estimate the quality parameters as a function of computational textures. The texture features were obtained by applying three well-known classical texture algorithms (GLCM - Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix, GLRLM - Gray Level Run Length Matrix and NGLDM - Neighbouring Gray Level Dependence Matrix) on low-field MRI. Being the first approach that exploits this type of scanner for this purpose in dry-cured meat, the predicted elements were compared and correlated to the results obtained by means of traditional physico-chemical methods. The obtained correlation were higher than 0.7 for almost all the quality traits, reached very good to excellent relationship. These high correlations between both sets of data (traditional and estimated results) prove that low-field MRI combined with texture algorithms could be used to estimate the quality traits of meat products in a non-destructive and efficient way.

La industria cárnica ha experimentado numerosos casos de fraude alimentario, destacando la mezcla de carne de caballo, de menor valor económico, con ternera. El jamón ibérico, producto de gran importancia en España, también ha experimentado actividades fraudulentas. Las prácticas fraudulentas relacionadas con el jamón ibérico son, principalmente, la manipulación de la documentación exigible y el etiquetado incorrecto. En este trabajo se propone un sistema de prevención y control del fraude en la industria del jamón ibérico. The meat industry has experienced many cases of food fraud, highlighting the mixture of horse meat, of lower economic value, with veal. Iberian ham, a product of great importance in Spain, has also experienced fraudulent activities. The fraudulent practices related to the Iberian ham are, mainly, the manipulation of the required documentation and the incorrect labeling. This work proposes a fraud prevention and control system in the Iberian ham industry. Universidad de Sevilla. Máster Universitario en Tecnología e Industria Alimentaria

Objetivo: analizar las percepciones sobre la calidad de jamón ibérico a través de las apreciaciones de los consumidores y de los vendedores. Basándose en la confianza entendida como interacción entre ambos agentes de la cadena alimentaria. Metodología: se utilizó una metodología cualitativa exploratoria aplicando un cuestionario a cien consumidores y treinta vendedores de jamón. Resultados: se encontró que los actuales procesos de producción y la incorporación de tecnología al sector del jamón ibérico muestra cuatro tipos de percepciones que se clasificaron en actuales positivos, mejor en el pasado, neutrales y permanentes. Limitaciones: fueron dos, la primera es que no se hizo una clasificación del tipo de vendedor; la segunda fue que el tamaño de la muestra no permite hacer generalizaciones, por lo cual para futuras investigaciones será necesario atender estas sugerencias. Conclusiones: los cambios en la concepción de calidad se relacionan con la percepción sobre la aplicación de las normativas del sector del jamón, pero fundamentalmente dependen de las relaciones de confianza dinámicas y construidas entre consumidor y vendedor.

Iberian/serrano ham is a food product with a long tradition in the Spanish diet that is increasingly demanded by national and international consumers. Spain has 5 protected designations of origin (PDO) and two protected geographical indications (PGI) that support the quality of this product, which is manufactured only in the Iberian Peninsula. Since 2013, and based on the culinary product of ham, public entities and some businessmen have been trying to promote tourism related to ham, similar to wine-based tourism. In this study, we attempt to understand the profile of a ham tourist in the three existing routes in Andalusia, as well as ham tourism&rsquo, s potential demand through seasonal auto-regressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) models. The results show that the profile of a ham tourist is similar to that of other typologies such as a tourist of wine or oil, and the demand has slow growth due to the novelty of this new tourism offering. Thus, there is a need to design strategies that allow the development of ham tourism, which will lead to an increase of wealth via employment in the local community.

The quality and sensory characteristics of Iberian ham are closely related to the pig feeding regime. These are mainly due to the inclusion or not of acorns into the diet, which significantly increases the content of monounsaturated fatty acids in this food product. In this work, the fatty acid profile from subcutaneous fat samples was evaluated and modeled with various chemometric approaches as a potential tool for authentication of Iberian ham from three categories according to the rearing system: &ldquo, Jam&oacute, n de Bellota&rdquo, &ldquo, n de Cebo de Campo&rdquo, and &ldquo, n de Cebo&rdquo, The application of artificial neural networks provided satisfactory classification and prediction rates, with oleic acid being the most important variable driving this differentiation.

The effect of Serrano and Iberian dry-cured ham processing and ripening on Listeria monocytogenes inactivation at the surface of whole hams was investigated. Salted hams were surface inoculated (6.5 log CFU) with a cocktail of 4 L. monocytogenes strains isolated from environment and products of a meat industry. Serrano and Iberian hams were ripened for 16 and 24 months, respectively. A decrease of at least 4.6 log units on the surface of Serrano ham was recorded after 4 months for L. monocytogenes counts, which remained under the detection limit thereafter. L. monocytogenes declined by >5 log units on the surface of Iberian ham during the first 9 months and was not detected afterwards. The higher nitrite content of Serrano ham might have accelerated the decrease of the pathogen. This study validates the inactivation of L. monocytogenes on the surface of whole dry-hams during extended ripening.

Iberian cured ham from purebred pigs fattened on grazing acorns is a highly appreciated product. There are several analytical methods to avoid its labelling fraud; however, these require opening the ham. The aim of this work is testing a non-destructive sampling method which does not spoil the physical integrity of the ham. It consists of a puncture with a needle imitating a traditional olfactory system. After removing the needle impregnated with fat, its volatiles are analyzed with a Gas Chromatography (GC) coupled to Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS). The potential of this methodology was studied analyzing 156 Iberian hams from pigs under two different feeding regimes (acorns versus feed) and from different breed (Iberian versus Duroc crossed). Intensity of GC-IMS plot features was extracted and chemometric differentiation models were obtained; one for feeding regime and another for breed, providing validated classification rates of 91.7% and 100%, respectively. In addition, 29 features used for construction of both models were tentatively identified using chemical standards. The suitability of the method for quality control analysis was characterized by means of a precision study. As a conclusion, GC-IMS becomes a useful tool to guarantee dry-cured Iberian ham authenticity and detect labelling fraud.

This work illuminates the connection between foodways and identity forging in Spain’s migration context. The concern of Moroccan and Pakistani Muslims over maintaining halal food practices conflicts with Spain’s reliance on and celebration of Iberian ham. This "two food cultures conflict," which I conceptualize as a halal/pork binary, can be traced back to the 15th century Spanish reconquista. However, Moroccan restaurateurs’ current revival of the convivencia (coexistence) narrative, their emphasis on a collective Andaluzi identity, and tapasization and halalization of Moroccan-Muslim and Spanish foodways are possible solutions to this tension. This identity work in the restaurant allows them to reconcile the cultural, religious, and gastronomic tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims in Spain and rewrites halal foodways into the Spanish foodscape. RESUMEN Este trabajo ilumina la relación entre las prácticas culinárias y la forja de identidad en el contexto migratorio de España. La preocupación de los musulmanes marroquíes y paquistaníes de mantener prácticas culinárias halal entra en conflicto con la dependencia y celebración española del jamón ibérico. Este "conflicto de dos culturas culinárias", lo que conceptualizo como un binario halal/cerdo, se remonta a la reconquista española del siglo XV. Sin embargo, el revival actual de los propietarios de restaurantes marroquíes de la narrativa de la convivência (coexistencia), su énfasis en una identidad andaluza colectiva y la conversión de prácticas culinárias marroquíes-musulmanas y españolas en platos estilo tapas y halal sirven como posibles soluciones a esta tensión. Este trabajo de identidad en el restaurante les permite reconciliar las tensiones culturales, religiosas y gastronómicas entre musulmanes y no musulmanes en España y reescribe las prácticas culinárias halal en el marco gastronómico español. RESUMO Este trabalho ilumina a conexão entre hábitos alimentares e forjamento de identidade no contexto da imigração na Espanha. A preocupação dos muçulmanos marroquinos e paquistaneses com a manutenção de práticas alimentares halal entra em conflito com a dependência e celebração do presunto ibérico na Espanha. Esse "conflito de duas culturas alimentares", o que conceituo como um binário halal/carne de porco, pode ser rastreado até a reconquista espanhola no século XV. No entanto, o res tabelecimento atual dos proprietários de restaurantes marroquinos da narrativa da convivência (coexistência), sua ênfase numa identidade coletiva de Andaluzia e sua "tapasização" e "halalização" de alimentos marro quinos muçulmanos e espanhóis servem como soluções possíveis para essa tensão. Este trabalho de identidade nos restaurantes permite-lhes reconciliar as tensões culturais, religiosas e gastronômicas entre muçulmanos e não muçulmanos na Espanha e reescreve os alimentos halal dentro da paisagem alimentar espanhola.

In this study, data mining technique was applied on computational texture features obtained from the analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of hams, with the main objective of determining sensory attributes of dry-cured ham non-destructively. For that, fresh and dry-cured hams were scanned and then the MRI images were analyzed by three methods of computational texture features. Data mining was applied on the computational texture features from fresh and dry-cured hams for obtaining prediction equations of the sensory attributes of dry-cured hams. The correlation coefficient (R) was used to analyze the results. Accurate prediction was found for 13 sensory attributes as a function of computational texture features of fresh ham, and three from dry-cured ham. In addition, a sensory analysis of dry-cured hams was also carried out to validate the predicted results. Similar values were found between the predicted attributes and those determined by sensory analysis. Thus, it is possible to predict sensory attributes of dry-cured hams by applying data mining on computational texture features of MRI from fresh and dry-cured hams. This supposes the chance of determining non-destructively sensory attributes of dry-cured hams, even before the curing process starts.

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of a Selected Ion Flow Tube-Mass Spectrometry (SIFT-MS) equipment to tentatively quantify relevant volatile compounds of dry-cured Iberian ham, and to differentiate Iberian hams from pigs reared at four different conditions yielding different commercial grades. The SIFT-MS analysis allowed the rapid quantification of 39 Iberian ham volatile compounds, 16 of them being significantly affected by the rearing conditions of pigs. The full spectra SIFT-MS data allowed the correct classification of 79.2% of hams according to diet, which is a smaller percentage than that obtained using intramuscular fatty acid data (95.8%) obtained by using a gas chromatograph-flame ionization detector after lipid extraction and transesterification. Therefore, the SIFT-MS analysis would be a rapid tool to tentatively quantify some relevant volatile compounds, and also would provide a rapid but rough classification of Iberian ham according to the rearing conditions of pigs.

Dry-cured Iberian ham is a meat product prone to be contaminated by ochratoxin A (OTA) because of colonisation by OTA-producing Penicillia on the surface of the product during its ripening. The ability of non-toxigenic moulds to control the growth of indigenous ochratoxigenic strains and OTA accumulation on this product was evaluated. Two protective cultures consisting of the antifungal protein-producing Penicillium chrysogenum RP42C and a mix of selected autochthonous non-toxigenic mould strains were spread on the surface of 45 dry-cured Iberian hams at drying stage and ripened up to 9 additional months. The results showed that the RP42C strain limited the growth of OTA-producing moulds and mainly the OTA accumulation in dry-cured Iberian ham throughout the processing in the meat industry. The use of protective cultures of non-toxigenic mould strains combined with an appropriate HACCP plan holds potential for reducing health hazard of OTA accumulation in dry-cured Iberian ham.

A medida que avanzan los estudios sobre el polisémico ámbito de la alimentación humana, resulta más necesario considerar mayor número de variables para analizar con solvencia el hecho alimentario. Más allá de los estudios sobre las fases de producción y distribución, nuestra propuesta se centra en la fase del consumo y trata de identificar los elementos que explican por qué las sociedades seleccionan y prefieren unos alimentos en detrimento de otros. Actualmente, la selección alimentaria está intrínsecamente presente en el hecho alimentario de las sociedades modernas, relegando a un segundo plano los factores biológicos y fisiológicos, en relación a parámetros dominantes comparados con el placer, la salud y la sociabilidad. Mediante una combinación de técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas, este estudio propone la relevancia de dimensiones como el placer y la salud como elementos que guían a los consumidores para elegir un determinado producto gourmet, como es el caso del jamón ibérico en España. Palabras clave: Selección de alimentos; Hecho alimentario; Placer; Salud; Sociabilidad; Jamón ibérico. As studies on the polysemic field of human nutrition progress, it is has become necessary to consider a greater number of variables when analysing the reality of food. Our proposal goes beyond studies based on the production and distribution phases, and focuses instead on the consumption phase in an effort to identify the elements that explain why societies choose and prefer some foods over others. Nowadays, food choice is intrinsically present in food as a reality of modern societies, relegating biological and physiological factors in relation to the dominant parameters of pleasure, health and sociability. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques, this study proposes pleasure and health as elements that guide consumers to choosing a particular gourmet product, as in the case of Iberian ham in Spain.

Objective: To evaluate the impact that the moderate and regular consumption of Cinco Jotas acorn-fed 100% Iberian ham has on overall cardiovascular risk, lipid parameters, blood pressure, and weight. Methods: A longitudinal, analytical, and quasi-experimental clinical study with repeated measures was carried out with 100 randomly selected individuals in primary care. The sample population included men and women (64%) between the ages of 25 and 55 (42.08, SD 9.6) who were not diagnosed with any cardiovascular illness or diabetes, were not undergoing antihypertensive treatment, nor taking lipid-lowering drugs. There were four visits during a 2-week washout period for the first of three phases. Phases 2 and 3 included an 8-week habitual diet phase followed by an 8- week intervention phase when participants consumed 40 g daily of acorn-fed 100% Cinco Jotas Iberian ham. Measurements of cardiovascular risk factors were taken following the SCORE table. These included total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (LDL-c), triglycerides (TG), and weight. Results: The average vascular risk (SCORE) was 0.20 (SD 0.49) before the consumption phase and 0.18 (SD 0.48) at the end of the study (p > 0.05). An increase in HDL-c of 5 mg/dl was observed while there was a decrease in LDL-c and TG of 10 mg/dl (p < 0.05). There were no differences in total cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or weight; nor were differences observed in average consumption of calories, protein, lipids, carbohydrates, or alcohol (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The daily consumption of 40 g of Cinco Jotas acorn-fed 100% Iberian ham does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and has a favorable impact on lipid levels without affecting blood pressure or weight.

The effect of high pressure processing (HPP) at 600 MPa and refrigerated storage for 5 months on the volatile fraction of 30 Iberian dry-cured hams of different compositional characteristics was investigated. Compositional characteristics significantly influenced 11 compounds (3 alcohols, 3 carboxylic acids, 2 alkanes, 2 benzene compounds and 1 aldehyde) out of the 116 compounds identified in the volatile fraction of Iberian ham. HPP treatment had a significant effect on 34 volatile compounds, with higher levels of 11 compounds and lower levels of 23 compounds in HPP-treated samples than in control samples. Refrigerated storage for 5 months significantly influenced the levels of 75 compounds, 25 of which appeared or increased while 50 disappeared or decreased. During that period, the total abundance of volatile compounds decreased by 5.1% in control ham and 1.3% in HPP-treated ham. Iberian ham commercial shelf life should be limited to maintain its sensory characteristics. Industrial relevance HPP treatment and refrigerated storage of dry-cured ham are advantageous industrial and commercial procedures. In the particular case of Iberian ham, both HPP and refrigerated storage brought about a decrease in the total levels of volatile compounds. Therefore, adequate HPP treatment conditions and commercial shelf life should be cautiously set in order to safeguard the unique odor and aroma characteristics of Iberian ham.

El municipio de Jabugo es uno de los más importantes en la transformación del cerdo ibérico. En las últimas décadas el sector ha sufrido una transformación, con procesos de concentración, relocalización y posicionamiento entre sus empresas. Como resultado de ello, las grandes industrias han salido fortalecidas, y la Denominación de Origen Protegida “Jabugo” aparece como una oportunidad para el sector., The municipality of Jabugo is one of the most important in the transformation of the Iberian pork. In the last decades, the industry has undergone a transformation, with processes of concentration, relocation and positioning among the companies in the industry. As a result, large companies have been strengthened, and the Protected Designation of Origin “Jabugo" emerges as an opportunity for the sector

In recent years, Gas Chromatography-Ion Mobility Spectrometry (GC-IMS) has been successfully employed in food science as a control technique for the prevention of fraud according to food and labeling regulations. In this work, we propose the use of GC-IMS technique to assess the quality of Iberian ham with regard to the Iberian Pig's diet (either nourished with feed or with acorns). For this purpose, we have acquired a dataset composed of 53 samples of Iberian ham from different food providers using a commercial GC-IMS (FlavourSpec, from G.A.S. Dortmund, Germany). Intensive signal pre-processing for GC-IMS was applied to the raw data. This dataset was employed to create four Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLSDA) models corresponding to different train/test partitions of the dataset. Nearly perfect classification rates (above 91 %) were obtained for each partition of the dataset, denoting the high power of GC-IMS to characterize food samples.

Los acaros, pertenecientes al orden “Astigmata”, son uno de los problemas mas importantes que afectan a la industria carnica dedicada a la fabricacion de productos secos y curados, principalmente al jamon, ocasionando incalculables perdidas economicas en este renglon de la economia. Considerados una plaga, ocasionan alteraciones organolepticas e incluso la putrefaccion del producto, ademas de ser fuente potencial de bacterias alterantes y/o patogenas. De esta forma, el control de los acaros debe suponer el uso de un metodo que permita controlar su actividad o erradicarlos, sin embargo, se debe tener en cuenta la naturaleza de estos productos carnicos para evitar causar alteraciones fisicas, quimicas u organolepticas al producto final o ir en contra del proceso de elaboracion del Jamon. REVISTA Innovaciencia Universidad de Santander - UDES Facultad de Ciencias Fisicas, Exactas y Naturales Campus Universitario Lagos del Cacique Bloque Motilones. Tercer Piso Tel: 57-7-6516500, Ext: 1783 Bucaramanga, Colombia

This study aims to forecast quality characteristics of Iberian hams by using non-destructive methods of analysis and data mining. Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computer Vision Techniques were conducted on hams throughout their processing. Physico-chemical parameters were also measured in these products. Information from these analyses was integrated in a database. First, deductive techniques of data mining were applied to these data. Multiple linear regression allows for the estimation of information from Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Computer Vision Techniques and physico-chemical analysis. This enables the completion of the initial database. Then, predictive techniques of data mining were applied. Both, multiple linear regression and isotonic regression achieved the prediction of weight, moisture and lipid content of hams as a function of features obtained by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computer Vision Techniques. Thus, data mining, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Computer Vision Techniques could be used to estimate the quality traits of Iberian hams. This allows for the improvement of the process control without destroying any piece.

Dry-cured Iberian pork products have long been a traditional and highly appreciated delicacy in Spain, and because of their excellent sensorial and nutritional qualities, their market is now growing rapidly worldwide. They are usually marketed in a whole-piece format or sliced in vacuum-packed trays, but both of these formats present problems for the consumer (difficulty of slicing the whole piece, loss of sensory properties once the vacuum-packed tray is opened …). This paper uses conjoint analysis to examine a new packaging format (called “slice slab”) for dry-cured meat products that aims to overcome these problems. The product selected for analysis was Iberian dry-cured ham, as it is the most frequently consumed Iberian pork product. Data were collected by means of a survey conducted with 320 Spanish consumers from January to May 2010. Overall, the consumers preferred Iberian mast-fed ham, conventionally sliced and at the lowest price (5 €/100 g). Three well-defined preference-based clusters were identified: traditional consumers (n = 114), price-insensitive consumers (n = 113) and innovative consumers (n = 93). Analysis of the clusters indicated that sliced slab ham may be an interesting alternative for the most innovative consumers, who are willing to pay a premium for this packaging format. Practical Applications This study has presented a methodological guideline to analyze the importance of packaging in shaping consumers' preferences. In this context, the use of conjoint analysis may have a great potential for testing and evaluating both the acceptance and the economic feasibility of new packaging formats in the food market. Its results can also be used for a preference-based segmentation, which would allow target markets to be identified in which consumers' willingness-to-pay can be evaluated beforehand. The present work may therefore constitute a starting point in the search for new forms of presentation for both cured meat products and other foodstuffs that will be well accepted by the consumer. In particular, it opens the way for further research into sensory analysis in the context of testing and improving in the presentation of new foodstuff formats.

Summary This research tries to explain the importance of intangible resources in explaining the international diversification of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Our starting position is that SMEs diversify to leverage their resources across different markets, and therefore a positive relationship is to be expected between technological, human and reputational resources, and diversification. These resources can be held internally by each firm, as proposed by the resource-based view, or, when the SMEs belong to a cluster, they also can be collectively created among neighbouring firms. Empirical evidence was obtained from a sample of 250 SMEs located in the Iberian Ham cluster. The results suggest that SMEs tend to rely on their technological resources and individual reputation to help them become exporters, but when it comes to their diversification through expanding into different overseas markets, collective reputation and human resources become more important.

The volatile fraction of 30 Iberian dry-cured hams of different physicochemical characteristics and the effect of high pressure processing (HPP) at 600 MPa on volatile compounds were investigated. According to the analysis of variance carried out on the levels of 122 volatile compounds, intramuscular fat content influenced the levels of 8 benzene compounds, 5 carboxylic acids, 2 ketones, 2 furanones, 1 alcohol, 1 aldehyde and 1 sulfur compound, salt concentration influenced the levels of 1 aldehyde and 1 ketone, salt-in-lean ratio had no effect on volatile compounds, and water activity influenced the levels of 3 sulfur compounds, 1 alcohol and 1 aldehyde. HPP-treated samples of Iberian ham had higher levels of 4 compounds and lower levels of 31 compounds than untreated samples. A higher influence of HPP treatment on volatile compounds than physicochemical characteristics was observed for Iberian ham. Therefore, HPP treatment conditions should be optimized in order to diminish its possible effect on Iberian ham odor and aroma characteristics. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd

The aim of this work focuses on the study of low molecular weight (LMW) compounds with antioxidant and antihy-pertensive effect in Iberian ham and La Serena cheese, two traditional products in Spain, in comparison to cured ham and matured Ewe’s milk cheese. Proteolysis parameters were studied, LMW compounds were isolated and their antioxidant and antihypertensive activity was analyzed. Results showed that a more intense proteolysis, expressed as peptidic nitrogen (PN), in Iberian ham (p < 0.001), can cause higher antioxidant activity in this product for both DPPH radical scavenging (p < 0.001) and metal chelating effect (p < 0.001). However, a more intense proteolysis in La Serena cheese, expressed as non protein nitrogen (NPN) (p < 0.001) and PN (p < 0.001), did not promote higher antioxidant activity in this cheese. On the other hand, no differences were found for antihypertensive activity, expressed as angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity, in both type of hams or cheese.