Abstract
The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) study of a dry-cured ham revealed two thermal phase transition
events in dry-cured ham: the freezing of the moisture and the glass transition. The freezing point of dry-cured
ham was found to be in the range between –12.5 and –14.4 °C. Thus the storing temperature of the product can
be decreased to –10.0 for shelf-life extension without ice formation. The inflection point of the glass transition of
the salted meat and the dry-cured ham was lower when compared with fresh pork (–85.0 vs –71.0 °C). The
amount of unfreezable water was also higher (22.0 % vs 6.8 %), which was explained by salting and ripening
processes. The application of a new DSC Tzero technology helped to define the heat capacity of the product in
the temperature range from –10.0 to +20.0 °C, which can reduce the error of the heat loads calculation. Copyright © 2014 IIR/IIF. All rights reserved
events in dry-cured ham: the freezing of the moisture and the glass transition. The freezing point of dry-cured
ham was found to be in the range between –12.5 and –14.4 °C. Thus the storing temperature of the product can
be decreased to –10.0 for shelf-life extension without ice formation. The inflection point of the glass transition of
the salted meat and the dry-cured ham was lower when compared with fresh pork (–85.0 vs –71.0 °C). The
amount of unfreezable water was also higher (22.0 % vs 6.8 %), which was explained by salting and ripening
processes. The application of a new DSC Tzero technology helped to define the heat capacity of the product in
the temperature range from –10.0 to +20.0 °C, which can reduce the error of the heat loads calculation. Copyright © 2014 IIR/IIF. All rights reserved
