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This study performed an evaluation of the impact ascariasis (or A. suum) has on feeding costs and revenues related to payment of carcasses and thighs used for the production of Italian PDO dry-cured hams. Differences in feeding costs and revenues were examined considering production phases (suckling piglets, weaners, fattening pigs and sows) in swine farms differing in terms of production cycle characteristics (farrow-to-finish or growing-to-finish cycles) and A. suum prevalence in the short-medium term (from 2011 to 2014) evaluated by liver milk spot lesions found at slaughterhouses. A. suum indirectly impacts the quality of carcass meatiness and thighs at slaughterhouses. The parasite also drives the exclusion of thighs at PDO dry-cured hams circuits as well as the carcass degradation. The clear correlation A. suum has with increasing feeding costs and reduction of farm revenues (directly linked with fatteners carcass meatiness and thigh quality standards) was demonstrated using GLM. The results provided cues to improving the control of parasites by farm management. In particular, the production of raw ham is very important in Italy, with nearly all pig farms in the country contributing pig thighs to the production of San Daniele and Parma PDO dry-cured hams, so consortia could represent an added value for the Italian pork industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defective textures in dry-cured ham are a common problem that causes important economic losses in the ham industry. An increase of proteolysis during the dry-cured ham processing may lead to high adhesiveness and consumer rejection of the product. Therefore, the influence of proteolysis index (PI) on instrumental adhesiveness, free amino acids and volatile profile of dry-cured ham was assessed. Two hundred Spanish dry-cured ham units were firstly classified according to their PI: low PI (<32%), medium PI (32–36%) and high PI (>36%). Instrumental adhesiveness was affected by PI, showing the lowest values in the batch with low PI. Significant differences ( P  < 0.05) among groups were found in six amino acids: serine, taurine, cysteine, methionine, isoleucine and leucine. The content of leucine, serine, methionine, and isoleucine significantly ( P  < 0.05) increased as the proteolysis index rose. However, taurine and cysteine content showed an opposite behaviour, reaching the highest values in the dry-cured hams with low PI. Significant differences ( P  < 0.001) in the total content of volatile compounds among ham groups were observed, with the highest concentration in the batch with low PI, and decreasing the concentration as the PI increased. Regarding the different chemical families of volatiles, the hydrocarbons (the main family), alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and acids were more abundant in the hams showing the lowest PI. Esters did not show significant differences among the three batches of hams studied. The present study demonstrated that, apart from the effect on the adhesiveness, an excessive proteolysis seems to be associated with negative effects on the taste and aroma of the dry-cured ham. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the potential of plasma‐treated water (PTW) as an alternative to synthetic sodium nitrite in loin ham manufacturing. Two brine solutions made of sodium nitrite were compared against PTW for curing of loin ham. In comparison to chemical brining PTW resulted in increased redness (a*‐value), while allowing to maintain low residual nitrite content and total bacterial counts. No significant differences were found in yellowness (b*‐value), lightness (L*‐value), and lipid oxidation among the treatment groups. Furthermore, the loin ham manufactured using PTW showed no genotoxicity by Ames test. Therefore, PTW could be considered as an effective and innovative substitute for synthetic nitrite in cured meat manufacturing without compromising on quality changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work aimed at evaluating if heavy pig low-protein diets balanced for amino acid (AA) profile affect the quality characteristics of dry cured hams. To the aim, 40 hams obtained by Italian Duroc × Italian Large White pigs fed three different dietary crude protein and indispensable AA levels were compared with those obtained by a conventional Parma ham Protected Designation of Origin diet (C). No physico-chemical (aw, pH), chemical (gross composition, NaCl, lipid peroxidation, non-protein nitrogen, total volatile bases) or sensory characteristics of hams were systematically affected by the administered diet, animal sex or their interaction with the exception of total and subcutaneous fat (the latter measured by an image analysis procedure). Considering gilts, low-protein diets resulted in samples with higher fat content and subcutaneous fat thickness with respect to hams obtained with C diet. In conclusion, low protein diets in the finishing phase of pig breeding could reduce the environmental impact due to nitrogen excretion without significantly affecting ham quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the historical itinerary of Chiloe ham, a typical product that was produced in the southern border of the Spanish Empire and became famous in the court of the Viceroy of Peru. How to raise and feed the pigs and cured ham with smoked technique is studied. The socioeconomic profile of producers and the characteristics of the markets of Chile and Peru is also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study investigates consumers' preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for protected designation of origin certifications. First, the paper proposes the use of a new index in food studies to measure WTP. We focus on dry-cured ham in Italy. Our results add a geographical dimension to studies of consumer preferences by providing evidence of the existence of differences based on place of residence. Consumers who live in the same area where certified ham is produced are willing to pay a lower premium price than consumers living farther away are willing to pay: the closer consumers live to the area of production of the certified product, the less they refer to extrinsic certification cues [EconLit citations: Q11; D12; C35]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revealed comparative advantages are widely used by the global literature to analyse the international trade flows, though agricultural trade is usually neglected in the empirical works. Moreover, the determinants of revealed comparative advantages are scarcely investigated. This article analyses revealed comparative advantages in European ham trade from 1999 to 2013 and identifies its determinants by using the panel data econometrics. The results suggest that quality linked to the production area highly affects the competitiveness of the European ham trade. Also, the EU accession is positively correlated with the competitiveness, meaning that the economic integration fosters competitiveness. However, in spite of the initial expectations, the FDI is negatively related to the competitiveness of the European ham trade, underlining the importance of the national ham processing companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The meat product industries play a major role in many global economies. In several countries, it is the industry with a higher economic weight within the food industries. As refrigeration systems are indispensable within the production processes, it is important to improve the overall energy efficiency in order to reduce the electricity consumption in these industries. The electrical energy consumption of the Portuguese meat industries is evaluated in this paper. The field study shows that electrical energy accounts for 66.5 % of the overall energy consumption in slaughterhouses, 85 % in sausage houses and 92.5 % in ham industries. Relatively to the refrigeration systems of these industries, results show that the average compressor nominal power per unit of cold room volume is comprised between 0.072 and 0.043 kW/m. The average value of the specific electrical energy consumption for the slaughterhouses was 149 kWh/ton, 660 kWh/ton for sausage houses and 1208 kWh/ton for ham production industries. Finally, a potential reduction of the electricity consumption based on simple energy efficiency measures was estimated in 24 % for the slaughterhouses, 13 % for the sausage houses and 8 % for the ham industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry-cured hams may become infested with ham mites, Tyrophagus putrescentiae , during the aging process. Methyl bromide is the only known available fumigant pesticide that is effective at controlling ham mite infestations in dry cured ham plants. However, methyl bromide will be phased out of all industries as early as 2015 due to its status as an ozone-depleting substance. Research was conducted to develop and evaluate the potential of using food-grade film coatings to control mite infestations, without affecting the aging process and sensory properties of the dry-cured hams. Cubes coated with xanthan gum + 20% propylene glycol and carrageenan/propylene glycol alginate + 10% propylene glycol were effective at controlling mite infestations under laboratory conditions. Water vapor permeability was measured to estimate the impact of coatings during the aging process. It was evident that carrageenan/propylene glycol alginate coatings were permeable to moisture, which potentially makes them usable during aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High meat quality is required for dry-cured ham production, which quality depends on meat fat quantity and composition. The aim was to study the polymorphisms of six genes involved in fat metabolism, namely, Stearoyl-CoA desaturase ( SCD ), Diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 and 2 ( DGAT1 & DGAT2 ), Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein ( MTTP ), Fatty acid synthase ( FASN ) and Heart fatty acid binding protein ( H-FABP ) in two traditional (Large White or Duroc × (Landrace × Large White)) and two industrial hybrids (Goland and Danbred), which are used for dry-cured ham production. Significant associations of SCD and MTTP were found with carcass weight. DGAT2 was associated with back fat thickness and L* fat colour (objective white colour score). Several genes ( DGAT2 , MTTP & FASN ) were associated with weight loss during salting, first step in dry-cured ham production, affecting final yield. Finally, MTTP was associated with shear force. Our findings suggest that the SCD , DGAT2 , MTTP and FASN polymorphisms are associated with quality of heavy pig meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate immunocastration (vaccination against GnRH using Improvac® vaccine), as an alternative to surgical castration in heavy male pigs (average live weight 165 ± 10 kg), used in the production of Italian typical dry-cured ham. A total of 60 Landrace × Large White male pigs were assigned to three groups of 20 units, including one group of surgically castrated (SC), and two of immunocastrated pigs, with two (IC2) or three (IC3) vaccine treatments, respectively. The groups were compared for green ham traits, processing weight losses, chemo-physical, and sensory properties of dry-cured hams. While IC3 were not different ( P > 0.05) from SC group, IC2 hams were found to differ ( P < 0.05) both from SC and IC3 groups in ham traits, final weight losses, texture and sensory boar taint in finished hams. Therefore, vaccination with three doses could be taken into account to control boar taint in the manufacturing of typical Italian dry-cured ham. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of tumbling time and storage on the physical and chemical characteristics of cooked ham was evaluated. The effect of tumbling time on the physical characteristics, namely color and texture, was significant, whereas the chemical characteristics were less affected since proteolysis of myofibrillar proteins, free amino acid ( FAA) and volatile profile was similar in ham with 9 and 18 h of tumbling. The effect of storage was most relevant on chemical characteristics, increased the proteolysis of myofibrillar proteins and the relative percentage of some volatiles, mainly aldehydes, whereas FAA decreased, except histidine that increased. Reduced tumbling time can be used, maintaining the quality of cooked ham during its storage. Practical Applications Cooked ham is a brine-treated product obtained after tumbling and cooking/cooling treatments. Its shelf life is around 90 days. Data concerning the effect of tumbling time and storage on quality attributes, proteolysis and volatiles of cooked ham are scarce. This characterization is of major relevance for cooked ham industry since the use of reduced tumbling maintains the product quality and storage reduces production costs. A reduction of 50% of the usual tumbling time influenced mainly the physical parameters, whereas the storage was similar and the most relevant impact was on the chemical characteristics. The practical results from this work can be extended to cooked ham industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this preliminary experiment was to study whether bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) can accurately predict the components of fresh pig hams. The trimmed right hams from 20 Iberian barrows were used. Six measures of resistance and reactance were taken by a bioelectrical impedance analyser. Simple and multiple regression equations were calculated for estimating bone, lean, intermuscular fat (IF), subcutaneous fat (SF), total fat (TF) and skin weights and percentages with respect to ham weight (HW). The HW accounted for 22% (P < 0.05) and 35% (P < 0.01) in the variations in lean and skin percentages, respectively. The ham compactness index (HCI), calculated as HW (in g)/(ham length, in cm)², accounted for 20% (P < 0.05) and 38% (P < 0.01) in the variations in SF and TF percentages, respectively. The HW and BIA variables accounted for 60% (P < 0.001) of the variation in skin percentage; the HCI and BIA measures accounted for 79% (P < 0.0001), 66% (P < 0.001) and 78% (P < 0.0001) of the variation in lean, IF and SF percentages; and BIA variables accounted for 72% (P < 0.0001) of the variation in bone percentage. To determine the accuracy of the calculated regression equations, five additional trimmed fresh hams from Iberian barrows were used. Actual and predicted values were compared. The HW accurately predicted lean weight and skin percentage in linear regression equations, and HCI adequately predicted SF and TF weights in simple linear regression equations, and also SF percentage in inverse function. The additional inclusion of HW, HCI or BIA variables in the regression models did not improve the accuracy of the equations. It is concluded that BIA might be applied to predict the components of fresh hams but more studies are needed to determine whether levels of accuracy and precision are sufficient for this method to be used in practice. The Spanish ham industry is interested in knowing the composition of pig meat pieces before the elaboration process. A preliminary study evaluated if BIA can accurately predict the bone, lean, fat and skin weights of fresh hams. It is concluded that BIA might be applied to predict those components but more studies are needed to be used in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'country/region of origin is a traditionally used strategy by food companies in order to differenriate their production from each other. Is the origin an useful strategy? Does it lead to differentiate a company's offer? This paper aims to resolve these questions from a theoretical perspective. In addition, a descriptive analysis of Spanish Designation of Origin's ham sector is developed. Such sector comprises only six Designations, so an in-deep analysis of all aspects related to place of origin will be easier [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: NaCl is an important multifunctional ingredient applied in dry-cured ham elaboration. However, its excessive intake has been linked to serious cardiovascular diseases causing a recent increase in the development of reduced salt products. In the present study Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, food-borne pathogens which can cross-contaminate post processed products, were spiked with <100CFU/g on slices of both standard (S) and NaCl-free processed (F) (elaborated with KCl+potassium lactate instead of NaCl) smoked dry-cured ham. Although L. monocytogenes and Salmonella counts decreased faster in S ham, pathogens were present in both types of non-pressure treated ham during the entire refrigerated storage period (112days). Pressurisation at 600MPa for 5min caused the elimination of both pathogens in S ham after 14days. In contrast, Salmonella and L. monocytogenes were present in F ham until days 28 and 56, respectively, indicating that the NaCl-free processed dry-cured ham had lower stability than standard smoked dry-cured ham. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Maturing time and salt were fixed factors and fat was a covariate in a full factorial design study of sensory and texture properties of 36 dry cured hams. Samples were chosen to fit three ageing and salt classes. Differences (P<0.05) in sensory scores were found between whole slices (with cover fat) and their biceps femoris (BF) counterparts, with sweet taste enhanced in whole samples and conversely unpleasant bitter taste more intense in BF portions. Increased ageing time resulted in better sensory profiles, as documented by greater scores (P<0.05) for matured odour, matured taste and sweet taste, whereas salty taste was reduced. Decreased salt was associated with greater intensities (P<0.05) of undesired green odour and taste. Based on chemical composition, the ham consistence appears improved by long-term dehydration, provided that protein breakdown is under control. It is concluded that for salt reduction of up to 25% to be achieved without negative side effects, extended ageing and restrained proteolysis are key factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Italian heavy pigs, with an average slaughtering body weight of 150-170kg, are world-wide famous for its Parma ham production. Because the requirement of market diversity, producers are interested in ham production following the procedure of Italian pork industry. However, with ever growing public concern about nitrogen (N) pollution in the environment, it is necessary to determine a suitable method to measure N excretion from heavy pig production. The N retention was calculated by factorial method and compared with estimations of other methods available in literature. The results showed that the N percentage of heavy pigs is 2.43% ± 0.07% on body weight basis and the percentage of N excretion was approximately 69.62% ± 0.20 of N intake. Regarding the N excretion of estimation methods, the proposal of Xiccato et al. was closer to reality of the heavy pig production than other methods and could be used as a standard way to calculate the N excretion. Besides the overall standard, it is opportune to make a N balance sheet for every individual farm under specific conditions. Only in this way, the farmers can realize their deficiencies and will voluntarily follow the Good Management Practice (GMP) indications so as to guarantee a sustainable development of pig production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary This study evaluates effect of tumbling time and cooking temperature on cooking rate, cooking loss (CL), colour, water activity and water-holding capacity of cooked restructured ham rolls. In experiment were investigated three tumbling times (2, 4 and 6 h) at constant temperature (+4 °C) and three cooking temperatures (76, 86 and 96 °C). It was observed that CL decreased ( P < 0.01) from 5.41% to 3.22% with tumbling time (2 h vs. 6 h) but increased ( P < 0.01) from 2.35% to 7.25% along with cooking temperature (76 °C vs. 96 °C). In contrast, pH value increased ( P < 0.01) from 6.18 to 6.24 with tumbling time (2 h vs. 6 h) but decreased ( P < 0.01) from 6.22 to 6.17 along with cooking temperature (76 °C vs. 96 °C). In addition, high temperature had higher efficiency for thermal lethality than low temperature ( F0 values were 19 and 92 min at 96 and 76 °C, respectively). Intermediate tumbling (4 h) and cooking (86 °C) could be preferential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This research examined whether firms that concentrate geographically perform better or worse than their more dispersed counterparts. While belonging to a cluster may have positive externalities for proximate firms, there can also be congestion economies that counterbalance these advantages. Having identified existing ham-producing establishments in the Iberian ham cluster, a sample of 265 firms was selected and it was confirmed that as the number of neighbouring firms increases performance increases. Also, the proximity to larger firms in the same province benefit smaller firms. This positive effect that geographical concentration has on performance is explained by access to valuable natural resources, workers, higher demand, knowledge spillovers, and lower transaction costs, which may help managers and policy-makers in their investment decisions, as well as contributing to the dearth of existing research and its contradictory nature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Staphylococcal enterotoxin D (SED) is one of the most frequently recovered enterotoxins in staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) outbreaks. The expression and production of SED were investigated in three ham products, i.e. boiled ham, smoked ham and dry-cured Serrano ham incubated at room temperature for seven days. Staphylococcus aureus was also, as a reference, grown in cultivation broth during optimal growth conditions for seven days. In boiled and smoked ham, continuous sed expression was observed throughout the incubation period with a second increase in sed expression found after five days of incubation. In smoked ham, nine times less SED per colony-forming unit of S. aureus was detected than in boiled ham. In boiled ham, the SED levels unpredictably decreased after three days of incubation. In the Serrano ham, SED was detected after five days of incubation although S. aureus growth was poor and sed expression was too low to determine. After five days of incubation, all three products contained enough SED to cause SFP. These results show that the specific production levels of SED vary in the different ham products, and that toxin production was in part uncoupled from bacterial growth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The acidity, peroxide and TBA values were determined, both in the subcutaneous fat and in the muscular portion fat (fat extracted from the muscular portion minced and homogenised after discarding the subcutaneous fat), or in the whole muscular portion (fat + lean tissue) in the case of the TBA values, throughout the manufacture process of dry- cured lacón, a traditional dry-salted and ripened meat product made in the north-west of Spain from the foreleg of the pig following a similar technological process to that of dry-cured ham. The effect of the time of salting (3, 4 or 5 days) on these parameters was also studied. Throughout the manufacture, the acidity, the peroxide and the TBA values significantly (p < 0.001) increased in all the batches studied and both in the subcutaneous fat and in the muscular portion fat or muscular portion. The increasing of the salting time, despite the fact that did not significantly increase the NaCI contents in the pieces at the end of the manufacture process, significantly (p < 0.001) increased the peroxide values throughout the manufacture process both in the subcutaneous and in the muscular portion fat. At the end of the manufacture process, the TBA values also were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the more intensely salted batches. The increasing of the salting time seems, in general, to have a inhibitory effect on the lipolytic phenomena; however, this effect was not consistent in all the sampling times in the batches studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo considera la situación del sector porcino español al inicio del año 2009. El autor reflexiona sobre el impacto de la situación económica mundial durante 2008 y describe la evolución interanual de los precios de la carne de cerdo en España. También comenta sobre otros temas que influirán en el sector durante el año 2009 como el comercio exterior y los cambios en los reglamentos de sanidad y bienestar animal.

An automatic method for shrinkage evaluation of pork ham was developed using computer vision. First, a sequence of image-processing algorithms was developed to estimate the average diameter, short axis, long axis, perimeter, volume and surface area before and after cooking and cooling. This sequence consisted of three steps, i.e., shape extraction, protrusion deletion and measurement. Based on the estimated shape characteristics, three kinds of shrinkage were evaluated as the percentage change before and after a process, i.e., shrinkages caused by the cooking process, cooling process and total shrinkage during the entire cooking and cooling processes. Then the cooking shrinkage was related to cooking loss; the cooling shrinkage to cooling loss and the total shrinkage to yield, water content and texture. It was found that among the three shrinkages, the cooking shrinkage in volume was the highest with up to 9.36%, and was significantly correlated with cooking loss (r = 0.91). The total shrinkage was highly negatively correlated with water content, and had positive correlations with the texture attributes. However, no significant relationships were found between cooling shrinkage and cooling loss, and between total shrinkage and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of restricted outdoor rearing during winter (W) or summer (S), and the influence of indoor ambient temperature [17 °C (I17) vs. 24 °C (I24), the latter being considered as control] on pig growth performance, carcass, muscular and adipose tissue traits, and technological and eating quality of dry-cured hams were evaluated. I17 pigs exhibited higher, whereas W had similar and S lower growth rates than the controls (P<0.001). Carcass traits were not different between groups, except in lower back fat weights of S and W pigs (P<0.01). Decrease in environmental temperature affected the fatty acid composition of the back fat leading to higher MUFA and lower SFA and PUFA contents (P<0.001) in I17 and W pigs, whereas S pigs exhibited higher PUFA levels (P<0.001) and fat firmness (P<0.01) than the controls. Rearing system did not significantly influence the intramuscular fat content of Semimembranosus (P=0.08), and had no effect on ultimate pH. In the Longissimus lumborum, percentage and relative area of αR fibers increased in W pigs (P<0.05), but citrate synthase activity did not differ between groups. I17 and W hams exhibited higher processing yields of dry-cured hams than controls (P<0.05). Sensory analyses showed that pig rearing conditions influenced the product appearance, the I17 and W hams exhibiting lower homogeneity (P<0.01) and intensity (P<0.05) of colour, and higher marbling scores (P<0.01) than I24 hams, but had no influence on texture or flavour. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Key flavour volatile compounds were monitored during ripening of dry-cured ham by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to a new direct-extraction device (DED). DED allows the insertion of the SPME fibre into the core of solid materials with no damage to the fibre. This enables extraction of volatiles from solid foodstuffs while avoiding sample handling. Major groups of volatile compounds extracted with SPME–DED agreed with available scientific literature about dry-cured ham volatiles. Moreover, volatile compounds previously highlighted as quality markers in dry-cured ham, such as 3-methylbutanal or hexanal, were satisfactorily extracted using SPME–DED. Changes in the profile of volatile compounds throughout the processing followed a typical pattern of volatile compounds formation. Therefore, SPME–DED appears as a new and promising method for monitoring ripening of dry-cured hams with no depreciation of the product, which might substitute traditional subjective methods currently used in the ham processing industry. However, the use of the internal standard method is not possible with this technique. Therefore, results using SPME–DED only point out a trend in the volatile profile. Further attempts relating data obtained using SPME–DED in dry-cured hams with sensory and chemical data from the same samples would be necessary for optimising this method as a quality control method in dry-cured ham industries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Orderly marketing requires standardized products. Current USDA inspection criteria prevent the packer from completely standardizing cured hams on the basis of protein and moisture content. It is argued that changes in the current cured meat inspection procedures might result in (1) a more standardized product for consumers and (2) more accurate price signals for farmers, which could increase the reward to those swine producers whose product is of high quality. If the inspection criteria were changed so that cured hams could be standardized on the basis of a moisture-protein ratio of 3.79:1, a simultaneous equation model indicates that the gross live-weight price differential between swine producing high-protein hams and those producing low-protein hams could widen to $2.42 per hundredweight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the decision of Canada's Federal Court which invalidated the official mark of Parma, Italy-based consortium of ham producers Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma claiming that it was not under control of any Canadian government. It states that food processing company Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has applied for registration of the mark Parma & Design in 1994 but was refused by the court on the basis that the mark was rendered to Consorzio.

The article discusses cured ham and its place in the traditional Mediterranean diet as well as its emblematic status of the agri-food quality of Andalusia. Cured ham has two protective designations of origins including the Denominaciones de Origen Protegidas (DOP) and Denominación Específica, which is a specific denomination dedicated to environmental responsibility of all ham production processes. An in-depth discussion of the production of Iberian ham is presented.

El artículo informa sobre un acuerdo entre el Consejo Regulador de la Denominación de Origen Jamón de Teruel y 10 entidades financieras de Teruel, en Aragón, España para proveer ayuda financiera para industriales dedicados a la curación y comercialización del Jamón de Teruel.

Se presenta información sobre el V Congreso Mundial del Jamón, que se celebrará del 6 al 8 de mayo en Aracena, Huelva, España.

El artículo trata la piratería en la industria del porcino Ibérico. Informa que, debido a estándares estrictos de higiene, existen solo seis granjas autorizadas para producir porcinos Ibéricos en España. Sugiere que estos estándares han llevado a un mercado negro en el comercio de supuestos porcinos Ibéricos, que se pasan de contrabando de granjas no autorizadas a las autorizadas.

Se presenta la descripción de una serie de cursos de corte de jamón de Teruel a cuchillo organizada por el Consejo Regulador del Jamón de Teruel y la Asociación Teruel Empresarios Turísticos (TET) en el Palacio de Exposiciones de Teruel en Teruel, España.