FREE FATTY-ACIDS DURING THE RIPENING OF IBERIAN HAM

The degree of acidity, triglycerides and free fatty acids were determined in Biceps femoris muscle of dry cured ham in different stages of processing. An increase of acidity was observed during ripening in Biceps femoris (6.74% oleic acid). More than 50% of the triglycerides studied were hydrolyzed, mainly during the first five months of ripening. In the cellar stage a lower decrease of triglycerides was observed. However, the increase of fatty acids was continuous during ripening. This could mean that, in the last stages, they might have come from phospholipids as well as from mono- and diglycerides.