Effects of Frozen Storage and Dry‐curing on Ham Triglyceride Fatty Acids

Hams from 12 hogs of similar background were used to study long chain fatty acid levels. One ham from each hog was randomly assigned to be frozen and held at ‐27.8° for 30 days prior to curing while the remaining ham from the pair was dry‐cured. Gas‐liquid chromatographic analysis showed that both unfrozen and frozen hams were significantly higher in stearic acid and significantly lower in palmitic acid after aging. Nonsignificant changes in other acids measured indicated that freezing did not affect fatty acid levels in the final product. Simulated dry‐curing and aging conditions for ham fat consisted of short time periods with elevated incubator temperatures. Freezing and curing treatments generally affected fatty acid levels in the simulated samples. The effect of nitrate was significant (P < 0.05) yielding lower concentrations of palmitic and linoleic acids after aging.