On the presence of cholesterol in ham (valutazion de presince di ossits dal colesterul tal persut)

Development of flavour in food, and in meat food is a very complex process, that involves a number of chemical reactions on lipid and proteins. Lipid oxidation does not involve fatty acids only, but sterols as well, in meat foods this happens on cholesterol, mainly. Cholesterol oxides (COPs) are extensively studied because of their cytotoxic activity and they are a risk factor for consumers health. In this paper, COPs were measured in longissimus dorsi, subcutaneous, intramuscular fat and lean meat volatile compounds of the same samples were also analysed. Results highlighted the presence of COPs, mainly 7-keto cholesterol: average concentrations were 0,6 mg/kg in muscle and 0,9 mg/kg in fat. Data are in good agreement with those already published for other kinds of hams. The volatile fraction too was analysed on the same samples, and results demonstated that aldehydes and ketones, were present as in Parma ham, but unlike Spanish ham.