Monitoring quality changes in dry‐cured mutton ham during processing

We monitored the production process of Xinjiang dry-cured mutton ham, and recorded changes in physicochemical and sensory quality such as appearance, texture, and aroma using E-nose, texture profile analysis (TPA), and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). During dry-cured mutton ham processing, the moisture content decreased from 76% to 34%, while the NaCl content increased from 0.18% to 9.85%. Lipid oxidation was observed throughout the processing of dry-cured mutton ham. Moreover, the nitrite content rapidly declined and reaching a minimum value of 1.58 mg/kg. During processing, the hardness of ham increased and its texture becomes tight, the chewability and gumminess improved over time. The muscle appeared rosy red, and the surface fat gradually became yellowish. Notably, seven classes of volatile compounds were identified among which aldehydes were the highest. Correlation analysis revealed that unsaturated fatty acids have a significant contribution to the composition of volatile compounds. PCA and cluster analysis results showed that the separation trend of the overall aroma profile of the dry-cured mutton ham is obvious at different processing times. The quality of dry-cured mutton ham changed the most during fermentation which was the key process stage of quality stabilization and improvement in the processing of dry-cured mutton ham. These results provide information regarding the changes in aroma and quality of dry-cured mutton ham during processing and are important for promoting the industrial processing of dry-cured mutton ham. Practical applications This study monitored the quality changes during the production of Xinjiang dry-cured mutton ham. These results provide a basis for improving the quality of dry-cured mutton ham and are important for promoting the industrial production of dry-cured mutton ham. Developing high-quality dry-cured mutton ham will have a positive effect on promoting the added value of the mutton processing industry.