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Iberian dry‐cured ham is one of the most prominent Spanish traditional meat products with very special nutritional and sensory properties, which make it widely appreciated both in Spain and in foreign markets. The packaging formats used for sliced Iberian ham are vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging, which are more in line with the current trends and consumer habits and have contributed to its popularization. The aim of this article is to study the preferences of Spanish consumers for these two types of packaging of Iberian dry‐cured ham using a dual approach with sensory analysis and choice experiment. Data were collected by means of a survey conducted with 253 Spanish consumers. The choice experiment has shown that the participants proved to have a higher preference for the vacuum packaging. However, sensory test revealed that hams packaged in modified atmosphere received higher scores in terms of odor when making a global comparison. Practical Applications: New purchasing habits require the adaptation of traditional products to new formats more in consonance with current consumer lifestyles. Iberian ham is one of these traditional products that until now selling in a whole‐piece format, which does not seem affordable for many consumers. So companies had to offer new sliced packaging format that could adapt with consumers' needs without affecting the organoleptic characteristics of the product. On the other hand, since we are dealing with a gourmet product of high sensory quality, results of this work would help companies in the sector to understand how the packaging format would influence the sensory attributes of the product. Both approaches applied in this article will allow industrials to know how consumer would behave in a pre and post‐purchase situation of different sliced dry‐cured Iberian ham packages that could be part of future marketing strategies within the Iberian sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the effect of different amounts of concentrate feed and the effectiveness of natural antioxidants on the fatty acid stability of intramuscular fat during the first days postmortem, 75 young bulls of the Retinta breed were divided in three groups: 30 were grazed, 30 were fed on medium concentrate diets, and 15 were fed on high-concentrate diets. Young bulls were slaughtered at commercial weight, around a 500 kg final body weight. Samples from Longissimus lumborum muscle were assigned to two ageing periods (0 and 7 d) and were vacuum packaged in vacuum bags (O2 permeability: 9.3 mL O2 / m2 per 24 h at 0 ∘C) using an EGARVAC ® sealer. Beef from grass-fed bulls showed a higher polyunsaturated fatty acid content than concentrate-fed bulls. During the first 7 d postmortem, no changes in the fatty acids profile were observed, because α -tocopherol content was optimal to prevent lipid oxidation. The higher level of natural antioxidants in grass than in grain resulted in the stability of the fatty acid profile. This study shows that the anti-oxidative potential of natural antioxidants in meat plays an important role during the first 7 d postmortem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term storage stability of three quality categories of sliced Iberian dry-cured ham defined by the Spanish Iberian Quality Standard (Black, purebred Iberian reared outdoors in Montanera system; Red, Iberian × Duroc crossed (50%) pigs reared outdoors in Montanera system; and White, Iberian × Duroc crossed (50%) pigs commercially fed) and packaged under vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was studied. Commercial category affected the shelf life, being Black and Red presented the highest lipid oxidation during storage, whereas the effect of packaging was not as clear as the effect of commercial category. MAP preserved more the colour and the antioxidants content than vacuum packaging, while this latter reduced lipid oxidation development and maintained better the brightness and flavour of slices than MAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physico-chemical characteristics and sensory attributes of Iberian sliced dry-cured loin from three commercial categories according to the current Spanish Iberian Quality Standard (Black , Red ; purebred Iberian and Iberian x Duroc-crossed (50%) pigs, respectively, reared outdoor with the final fattening phase based on acorns and grass; Montanera , and White ; Iberian x Duroc crossed (50%) pigs reared indoors and fed on commercial fodder) and packaged using different systems (vacuum and modified-atmosphere packaging, MAP) were evaluated at various stages throughout their long-term storage (12 months). The slices from the Black and Red categories yielded higher antioxidants, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids and higher lipid oxidation at the end of storage time (from t8 to t12). α-tocopherol was better preserved in the case of the slices kept in MAP although, after 8 months of storage, lipid oxidation was seen to increase in the latter (Δt12-t0 MAP = 0.4) compared to the vacuum packaged product. Regarding sensory evaluation, the marbling and texture attributes were affected by commercial category, whereas the influence was insignificant by type of packaging and storage time. • Lipid oxidation throughout long-term storage depend on commercial category. • Oxidative status was better preserved in vacuum with respect to MAP. • Commercial category affects sensory attributes of dry-cured loin. • Sensory attributes of dry-cured loin were not affected by packaging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]